Vox Media: on Crime
Kamala Harris:
I chose the unpopular thing to NOT seek the death penalty
[Harris said during the debate]: "My entire career I have been personally opposed to the death penalty and that has never changed. And I dare anybody who is in a position to make that decision, to face the people I have faced to say I will not seek the
death penalty. That is my background; that is my work. When I was in the position of having to decide whether or not to seek a death penalty on cases I prosecuted, I made a very difficult decision that was not popular to not seek the death penalty."
[Is that true? FactCheck by Vox.com:]
In 2004, as district attorney of San Francisco, she refused to seek the death penalty against a man convicted of shooting police officer Isaac Espinoza. She faced opposition from fellow Democrats; Sen. Dianne
Feinstein called for the death penalty at the officer's funeral. But Harris didn't budge--an act of principle that cost her key political allies (as she received almost no support from police groups during her first run for attorney general in 2010).
Source: Vox.com FactCheck on July 2019 Democratic Primary debate
Jul 31, 2019
Ketanji Brown Jackson:
On US Sentencing Commission, helped reduce drug sentences
She is also a leading expert on federal sentencing policy, having previously served as vice chair of the United States Sentencing Commission. While Jackson was on the commission, it retroactively reduced sentences for many crack cocaine offenses in
2011, permitting about 12,000 incarcerated individuals to seek reduced sentences and making an estimated 1,800 inmates eligible for immediate release. It also cut sentences for most federal drug offenders during her last year as a commissioner.
Source: Vox.com on Supreme Court nominee
Feb 25, 2022
Tom Wolf:
Moratorium on death penalty; reprieves to death-row inmates
Wolf signed a series of executive orders for political appointees and state workers, banning gifts to state officials and requiring that all state contracts with private-sector providers go through a bidding process.
He declared a moratorium on the death penalty, granting temporary reprieves to 180 inmates on death row as a state task force formally reviews the policy.
Source: Vox.com on 2018 Pennsylvania gubernatorial race
May 16, 2018
Wanda Vazquez Garced:
May have meddled in theft investigation at daughter's home
Vazquez made history as the first justice secretary in Puerto Rico to face a criminal investigation. In 2018, she temporarily stepped down in response to ethical complaints filed by the office of an independent special prosecutor.
Vazquez was accused of abusing her power when she reportedly tried to meddle in a theft investigation at her daughter's home. The prosecutor said there was not enough evidence to charge Vazquez of wrongdoing, but the publicity was bad for her.
Source: Vox.com on 2020 Puerto Rico Gubernatorial race
Aug 9, 2019
Wanda Vazquez Garced:
Didn't investigate corruption over hurricane relief
One of the most upsetting issues to Puerto Ricans was the alleged corruption related to the Hurricane Maria recovery. The storm devastated the island in September 2017, and many neighborhoods have yet to return to normal. Puerto Ricans want to know what
happened to all the federal money. Vazquez showed little interest in investigating it. She also angered the public for reportedly refusing to investigate why tons of hurricane supplies were abandoned in fields and never distributed to survivors.
Source: Vox.com on 2020 Puerto Rico Gubernatorial race
Aug 9, 2019
Page last updated: Dec 02, 2023