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Washington State Supreme Court Rules Death Penalty Unconstitutional

The ruling makes Washington the 20th state to abolish capital punishment.

Washington state Thursday struck down capital punishment in a Supreme Court ruling. “The death penalty is invalid because it is imposed in an arbitrary and racially biased manner,” the ruling said. Governor Jay Inslee had previously said no executions would take place while he’s in office. The last person executed in the state was Cal Coburn Brown in 2010. Thursday’s ruling was in the case of Allen Eugene Gregory, who was convicted of raping, robbing, and killing Geneine Harshfield in 1996. The ruling ordered that all people currently on death row will have their sentences converted to life imprisonment. Governor Inslee released a statement celebrating the decision, stating, “This is a hugely important moment in our pursuit for equal and fair application of justice.” State Attorney General Bob Ferguson added in his own statement, “The court recognized that Washington state's death penalty is broken. We should act quickly to remove the death penalty from state law once and for all.”