Sotomayor’s first vote on death penalty (votes with the liberal bloc)

The newest Justice, Sonia Sotomayor, on Monday night cast her first vote in a death penalty case, joining three other members of the Supreme Court in dissent as the Court permitted the execution Tuesday of an Ohio inmate, Jason Getsy, 33. He was scheduled to die in Lucasville, Ohio, at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

The Supreme Court’s order is here. Sotomayor would have granted a stay of execution, along with Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John Paul Stevens. Sotomayor’s predecessor, retired Justice David H. Souter, frequently voted to postpone executions.

In the Court’s order, the Justices also denied Getsy’s petition for review, in Getsy v. Strickland (09-5935). There was no indication of dissent from the denial of review of the case itself.

http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/sotomayors-first-vote-on-death-penalty/


SCOTUS order:

(ORDER LIST: 557 U.S.)


MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2009


CERTIORARI DENIED


09-5935 GETSY, JASON V. STRICKLAND, GOV. OF OH, ET AL.
(O9A171)

The application for stay of execution of sentence of death presented to Justice Stevens and by him referred to the Court is denied. The petition for a writ of certiorari is denied.
Justice Stevens, Justice Ginsburg, Justice Breyer, and Justice Sotomayor would grant the application for stay of execution.

http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Getsy-order-8-17-09.doc
http://www.supremecourtus.gov/orders/courtorders/081709zr1.pdf

:evilgrin:

An undated photo released by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction shows Jason Getsy. Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland has denied clemency for the triggerman in a 1995 murder-for-hire scheme, overriding the state parole board's recommendation for mercy. Getsy, is scheduled to die Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009, for the shooting death of Ann Serafino in suburban Youngstown. (AP Photo/Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction) (Anonymous - AP)

a Latino over a white male ...

According to the Repugs, you'd think that she'd be the one wanting to stick the needle in his arm ...

Justice Sonia Sotomayor made what looks like her first public decision as a Supreme Court judge. She voted unsuccessfully with the court's liberal bloc to stop the execution of an Ohio death row inmate.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111997912&ft=1&f=1001

Even though the death penalty isnt one of my favorite issues (I do think its alot of power to give the government). But if its a sign that she'll be liberal on other civil liberties (free speech, etc...) then its a good thing. Ill be interested in seeing how she votes from here on.

merit with such folks.

so? Some encouraging activist he is..or is it grandstanding?

now I'm convinced.

though I think we will be happy.

I think this is reason to celebrate - Obama didn't make a mistake.

we can join the rest of the civilized world.

WASHINGTON — Justice Sonia Sotomayor cast her first vote in a Supreme Court death penalty case late Monday, dissenting from a decision that allowed the execution of a death row inmate to proceed. The inmate, Jason Getsy, was executed Tuesday morning by lethal injection in Lucasville, Ohio.

Justice Sotomayor, who joined the court this month, dissented along with three members of its liberal wing, Justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer. The court’s brief order offered no reasoning, and the dissenters merely said they would have granted Mr. Getsy’s application for a stay of execution.

But the alignment of the justices in the Getsy case gave a preliminary indication that, as expected, the ideological fault line at the court was not changed by Justice Sotomayor’s succeeding Justice David H. Souter, who often voted with Justices Stevens, Ginsburg and Breyer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/us/19scotus.html