Jindal & Vitter Angry Over High Court Ruling On Child Rape Death Penalty

[wroyal]

From Shrevetalk, 10/1/08, http://www.shreveport.com/shrevetalk/

The Governor of Louisiana today said “The Supreme Court was dead wrong,” in their refused to hear an appeal on their recent ruling on a Louisiana case in which they recently outlawed death as a penalty for the brutal crime of child rape.

Reaction was swift and pointed by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and U.S. Sen. David Vitter. Both issued strong objections to the high court’s decision.

Jindal issued the following statement, upon the Supreme Court’s rejection of requests to revisit their decision in the Louisiana v. Patrick Kennedy case:

“ The Supreme Court was dead wrong in their ruling. It is disappointing that they did not take this opportunity to move quickly to rehear this case and examine their legally improper and absurd decision to remove death as a penalty for the horrific crime of raping a child.”

Jindal continued, “The fact that they based their ruling on their own perception of a ‘national trend’ against the death penalty is outrageous and harms the credibility of the entire Court. We will continue to work to evaluate ways to amend our statute to maintain death as a penalty for the incredibly brutal crime of raping a child.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. David Vitter today expressed his disappointment regarding the Supreme Court’s decision to not revisit its ruling on Kennedy v. Louisiana. The Court declined today to respond to a request from the Bush administration and the state of Louisiana to reconsider the case.

“I am disappointed that the Supreme Court chose not to revisit their opinion on this important case,” said Vitter. “The penalty of execution exists for the most heinous criminal offenses committed by individuals, and the rape of a child is undoubtedly such an offense.”

Earlier this month Vitter urged the Senate to support his resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the case of Kennedy v. Louisiana was wrong.

Vitter’s resolution would also clarify that it is the sense of the Senate that the eighth amendment of the U.S. Constitution allows for the imposition of the death penalty for individuals convicted of the rape of the child. His resolution was blocked by secret objectors at the time.

Under new Senate Ethics rules, those objecting senators had to reveal themselves, and the senators holding the resolution were Feingold and Kerry.