Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Feb. 16 said that he would block any inmate executions and called on the state’s legislature to repeal capital punishment.
Shapiro—a Democrat who, as Pennsylvania attorney general, supported the death penalty for the worst and most violent crimes—said he will not sign any death warrants and will grant reprieves to prevent death sentences from being carried out.
In 2015, Shapiro’s predecessor in the Governorship, Tom Wolf, also a Democrat, placed a moratorium on executions.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf speaks with the press in Philadelphia, Dec. 16, 2022 (Commonwealth Media Service)
According to statistics published by the Death Penalty Information Center, as of 2022, 27 U.S. states allow for the death penalty. Three states with the death penalty—California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania—had governor-decreed moratoriums on executions, which are still in place….