Race & The Death Penalty

     Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens writes about his change of heart about the death penalty in an upcoming article.....and he may speak about it on 60 Minutes tomorrow when he is profiled.

    Stevens writes that racial disparity in the administration of Capital Punishment is critical proof of its unconstitutionality:

“That the murder of black victims is treated as less culpable than the murder of white victims provides a haunting reminder of once-prevalent Southern lynchings,” Justice Stevens wrote.

     That quote comes from a New York Times story about his conversion from death penalty advocate to opponent.