House expected to vote Tuesday on bill to end judicial override
MONTGOMERY — Alabama’s House of Representatives, on its first day back from spring break, is expected to take up a bill that would end the State’s judicial override sentencing system.
On Tuesday, the House is expected to begin debate, and maybe vote, on the bill sponsored by Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa. England’s bill would prohibit a judge from overriding a jury’s recommended sentence of life to impose the death sentence instead.
Under England’s bill, a unanimous jury would have to vote for death for a defendant to receive the sentence, which would bring Alabama in line with almost all other states with capital punishment.
“I think it’s clear that the will of the body is there to do something about judicial override overall,” England said in an interview with the Alabama Political Reporter last month. “I think there may be a couple of differences of opinion about the specifics like unanimity of the jury. I think it will work itself through the process.”
Read more: http://www.alreporter.com/2017/04/04/house-expected-vote-tuesday-bill-end-judicial-override/