Mercy on Trial: What It Means to Stop an Execution

On January 11, 2003, Illinois Governor George Ryan—a Republican on record as saying that "some crimes are so horrendous . . . that society has a right to demand the ultimate penalty"—commuted the capital sentences of all 167 prisoners on his state's death row. Critics demonized Ryan. For opponents of capital punishment, however, Ryan became an instant hero whose decision was seen as a signal moment in the "new abolitionist" politics to end killing by the state.


In this compelling and timely...