Current:Home > ContactTennessee Senate advances bill to allow death penalty for child rape -MarketLink
Tennessee Senate advances bill to allow death penalty for child rape
View
Date:2025-04-14 07:07:36
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s GOP-controlled Senate advanced legislation on Tuesday allowing the death penalty in child rape convictions as critics raised concerns that the U.S. Supreme Court has banned capital punishment in such cases.
Republicans approved the bill on a 24-5 vote. It must still clear the similarly conservatively dominant House chamber before it can go to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for his signature.
If enacted, the Tennessee bill would authorize the state to pursue capital punishment when an adult is convicted of aggravated rape of a child. Those convicted could be sentenced to death, imprisonment for life without possibility of parole, or imprisonment for life.
Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis enacted a similar bill nearly a year ago. Supporters in both states argue that the goal is to get the currently conservative-controlled U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider a 2008 ruling that found it unconstitutional to use capital punishment in child sexual battery cases.
Republican Sen. Ken Yager argued during Tuesday’s debate that his bill was not unconstitutional because it only gave district attorneys the option of pursuing the death penalty for those convicted of child rape.
“We are protecting the children using a constitutional approach,” Yager said. “I would not stand here and argue for this bill if I didn’t believe that with my whole heart.”
Yager’s argument differs from the supporters inside the Tennessee Legislature, where Republican House Majority Leader William Lamberth has conceded that even though Tennessee previously allowed convicted child rapists to face the death penalty, the Supreme Court ultimately nullified that law with its 2008 decision.
Other lawmakers compared their goal to the decades long effort that it took overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that legalized abortion nationwide but was eventually overruled in 2022.
“Maybe the atmosphere is different on the Supreme Court,” said Republican Sen. Janice Bowling. “We’re simply challenging a ruling.”
Democrats countered that the bill would instill more fear into child rape victims about whether to speak out knowing that doing so could potentially result in an execution. Others warned that predators could be incentivized to kill their victims in order to avoid a harsher punishment.
Execution law in the U.S. dictates that crimes must involve a victim’s death or treason against the government to be eligible for the death penalty. The Supreme Court ruled nearly 40 years ago that execution is too harsh a punishment for sexual assault, and justices made a similar decision in 2008 in a case involving the rape of a child.
Currently, all executions in Tennessee are on hold as state officials review changes to its lethal injection process. Gov. Lee issued the pause after a blistering 2022 report detailed multiple flaws in how Tennessee inmates were put to death.
No timeline has been provided on when those changes will be completed. And while the state Supreme Court is free to issue death warrants for death row inmates, it has so far not done so.
veryGood! (83)
Related
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- Delaware Supreme Court reverses ruling invalidating early voting and permanent absentee status laws
- What to know about Oklahoma’s top education official ordering Bible instruction in schools
- Sleeping on public property can be a crime if you're homeless, Supreme Court says
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Florida arts groups left in the lurch by DeSantis veto of state funding for theaters and museums
- Supreme Court Overturns Chevron Doctrine: What it Means for Climate Change Policy
- Tom Cruise Steps Out With His and Nicole Kidman’s Son Connor for Rare Outing in London
- Bodycam footage shows high
- Despair in the air: For many voters, the Biden-Trump debate means a tough choice just got tougher
Ranking
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Nancy Silverton Gave Us Her No-Fail Summer Party Appetizer, Plus the Best Summer Travel Tip
- Two voice actors sue AI company over claims it breached contracts, cloned their voices
- Nancy Silverton Gave Us Her No-Fail Summer Party Appetizer, Plus the Best Summer Travel Tip
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Takeaways: How Trump’s possible VP pick shifted on LGBTQ+ issues as his presidential bid neared
- Argentina, Chile coaches receive suspensions for their next Copa America match. Here’s why
- J.Crew Factory’s 4th of July Sale Has the Cutest Red, White & Blue Dresses up to 70% off Right Now
Recommendation
Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
Wimbledon draw: Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz in same bracket; Iga Swiatek No. 1
Biden rallies for LGBTQ+ rights as he looks to shake off an uneven debate performance
8-year-old dies after being left in hot car by mother, North Carolina police say
Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
Nancy Silverton Gave Us Her No-Fail Summer Party Appetizer, Plus the Best Summer Travel Tip
Nigel Farage criticizes racist remarks by Reform UK worker. But he later called it a ‘stitch-up’
When the next presidential debate of 2024 takes place and who will moderate it