In Nevada, capital punishment is the price for committing capital crimes. Of course, any person sentenced to death has the ability to file appeals. But once those appeals are exhausted, and if the court determines that the death penalty was the right punishment, then the state penal system needs to do its job and complete the sentence.
I believe the heinous crimes deemed punishable by execution per Nevada law warrant that distinction. As governor, I would follow Nevada’s current death penalty laws while relying on the best legal advice available to me, especially from our state attorney general, to ensure I make the right decisions. Granting a stay or allowing an execution is not necessarily a moral decision, but rather a decision that should be made in the best interests of the people, based upon the laws of our state. As governor, it would be my responsibility to uphold the law.
If the Legislature were to send me a bill abolishing the death penalty, I would veto the bill.
