American Notes Death

Incoming New Mexico Governor Garrey Carruthers, a Republican, had made his intentions clear: "The first thing I want to see on my desk after I'm elected Governor is the paperwork necessary to restart the death penalty." Last week outgoing Governor Toney Anaya, a Democrat, made certain Carruthers would have to wait a while before ordering executions. In a dramatic move, Anaya commuted the sentences of all five men awaiting death in New Mexico. "For me to simply walk away now will make me as much an accomplice as others who would participate in their execution," said Anaya. A court challenge is promised, though many legal observers doubt Anaya's decision can be overturned. The five New Mexico prisoners, all of whom now face life sentences, make up a minuscule minority of the estimated 1,750 on the nation's death rows.