It appears New Jersey is poised to abolish the death penalty. The state has eight men on death row but has not executed an inmate since 1963, reports The New York Times.

A bill that would abolish capital punishment was approved by the state Senate Judiciary Committee in the spring and the state assembly is scheduled to consider a nearly identical measure on Dec. 6. Gov. Jon Corzine, a death penalty foe, has said he will sign the measure into law if it reaches his desk. “It would be a historic measure,” Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, told the Times. “I think it is part of this bigger picture where the death penalty is on the defensive.”

This article appears in November 16 • 2007.

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