President Donald Trump’s Justice Department announced Thursday that it was moving forward with federal capital punishment after a hiatus on executions that lasted a number of years.
The move, championed by its proponents as a bold adherence to the rule of law, may start a chain reaction across the country, with states following suit.
And Arizona’s champion of the rule of law, Attorney General Mark Brnovich, is first in line.
“As Attorney General, I have a legal and ethical obligation to uphold and enforce Arizona law,” Brnovich said in a statement exclusive to The Western Journal.
Arizona law allows for capital punishment. But the state has been unable to carry out those laws because former President Barack Obama’s administration effectively blocked the use of the necessary drugs to carry out executions.
The Arizona attorney general’s office issued a statement in response to Thursday’s announcement, saying it welcomed the “decision by the Department of Justice and [is] looking further into how this will impact Arizona’s ability to resume capital punishment.”
“It’s an indicator of a willingness by the federal government to stop using the courts and relying upon overzealous federal agencies to implement a backdoor ban of the death penalty,” the AG’s office said.
“Earlier this year, the Department of Justiceopined that the FDA has no jurisdiction over execution drugs. This is relevant because it was the FDA that previously intercepted the State of Arizona’s last importation of lawful execution drugs. As long as the State can lawfully import the execution drugs, Arizona can commence lethal injections.”
In his statement to The Western Journal, Brnovich said the message from the federal level is a signal to states that now is the time to move forward with full enforcement of the law.
“These recent developments establish that it is now time to resume executions in Arizona, where 14 death row inmates have exhausted all automatic avenues to appeal their sentences,” Brnovich told The Western Journal.
“Justice must be done for the victims of these heinous crimes and their families. Those who commit the ultimate crimes deserve the ultimate punishment.”
The Trump administration is implying that it respects the rule of law and accepts the death penalty as a legal punishment for the worst of offenders.
That’s a sentiment that Brnovich can get behind.
“The Department of Justice’s announcement is welcomed and the state should reconvene its efforts to lawfully secure lethal injection drugs,” Brnovich said.
“For years, anti-death penalty advocates have used the court system and relied upon unelected federal bureaucrats to carry out their backdoor campaign to end capital punishment. If anti-death penalty proponents want to end capital punishment in Arizona, they should use the ballot box,” he added.
Arizona AG Letter to Gov Du… by The Western Journal on Scribd
Brnovich argued the previous administration’s policies stalled the system and thwarted justice for victims.
As the top law enforcement officer in the state of Arizona, Brnovich believes it is time for Obama’s policies of weakness and disregard for the law to end.
Brnovich says it’s time to focus on the right things.
“We spend so much time debating whether violent criminals should be put to death, and not enough time focusing on the heinous crimes these individuals commit and seeking justice for their victims,” he said.
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