If you were governor of a state with the death penalty...

[Ebowed]

All three options.  I'd do anything in my power available to me to prevent any executions.

[Friz]

All three for me.  I would do everything in my power to halt any execution while in office (and anything I could do out).

[Frodo]

Only on a case-by-case basis.  Otherwise, let 'em hang... 

[Mr. Paleoconservative]

Unless some new evidence comes to light that the person to be executed may be innocent, or certain circumstances in the case changed (such as aggravated murder to manslaughter), it is the Governor's job to uphold the laws of the state, and the decisions of the jury once the condemned has used up all of their appeals.

[WalterMitty]

commute all sentences.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

commute all sentences.

Why? The death penalty is a useful method of social control.

[Verily]

Option 4. Options 1-3 are an abuse of the power of the office in my opinion. The power of an executive to commute or stay a punishment or pardon a crime are meant for those cases where a guilty sentence either proved to be in doubt or entirely wrong. If I was opposed to the death penalty, I'd try to get the state congress to ban it, not abuse my executive powers.

There can never be a case decided beyond reasonable doubt in a situation of the death penalty, so the conviction is always in doubt.

Sure there can - suppose a murder is caught on a security camera with the suspect's face clearly visible in the video, the murder weapon with the suspect's fingerprints on it is found and forensically determined to be the murder weapons, and the victim's blood was found on the suspect's clothing. Let's also say you have a number of credible witnesses to the crime, all implicating the suspect as the guilty party.

The death penalty should certainly require more evidence than a simple jail conviction, but to say you can never be certain beyond a reasonable doubt is just silly. Don't just arbitrarily say that without any supporting logic and expect me to agree.

Even in such a situation, there is not enough evidence to justify counter-murder.

[Nym90]

I would commute many sentences, but probably not all, and thus had to pick the none option.

I think the death penalty should be very rare, it should only be used in cases of multiple murders, or perhaps murder of a police officer while in commission of another crime, or some such. It should be rare enough that when a death sentence is handed out, it makes the national news. It should be something that should shock people, and make people stand up and take notice, and learn something from it. It has been used so often that it is no longer an event, and thus loses pretty much all of its deterrent benefit, and has the effect of cheapening death and possibly even resulting in less respect for human life.

[??????????]

Option 4. I'd make Texas look like they were falling behind the times.

You can't do that without the courts' approval.

I would rid this state of the garbage lethal injection and bring back the electric chair.

Assuming even the legislature let you, that likely wouldn't hold up in court.

Then I would commence clearing out death row.

No authority for that. All inmates get their allowed appeals.

I, of course, would immediately nullify any federal court order or mandate and do as I feel was best for my state.

[Ban my account ffs!]

All of them except "none."

I oppose the death penalty on all grounds.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Option 4. I'd make Texas look like they were falling behind the times.

You can't do that without the courts' approval.

I would rid this state of the garbage lethal injection and bring back the electric chair.

Assuming even the legislature let you, that likely wouldn't hold up in court.

Then I would commence clearing out death row.

No authority for that. All inmates get their allowed appeals.

I, of course, would immediately nullify any federal court order or mandate and do as I feel was best for my state.

So basically, you'd invent some sort of authority that basically allows the governor to function as a dictator. Hope you would enjoy your impeachment or arrest by federal agents.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

I'd put the legislature to death and do the same to any federal officials who try to interfere then take the state out of the union. Since I'd run an anti-US(the part the democrats and other lefty types in the US/rest of the west care about) dictatorship in the northeast and the dems would never vote for it(they'd impeach Dubya for it). Remember the world left's love affair with Arafat? Despite my politics not being socialist in the least I'd quickly become the world left's media darling.

[Platypus]

If the justice system had felt it right, I wouldn't commute a sentence imposed by it. That said, I'd delay the procedure for my term and try and get the death penalty legally abolished. The first one is more difficult, but I suspect that I'd refuse to kill someone with a signature.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Throw the switch myself

[Flying Dog]

I would do everything in my power to abolish the Death Penalty and make sure it never gets carried out during my term.

[Josh/Devilman88]

I would do everything in my power to make sure that people on death row get a fair hearing, then if they are found guilty of their crimes then they should get the death penalty.

[AkSaber]

If I believed a convict had an unfair trial, I'd give him a new one. That's all.

[The Dowager Mod]

commute all sentences.

Go hug a tree hippie.

[SPC]

Option 4. I'd make Texas look like they were falling behind the times.

You can't do that without the courts' approval.

I would rid this state of the garbage lethal injection and bring back the electric chair.

Assuming even the legislature let you, that likely wouldn't hold up in court.

Then I would commence clearing out death row.

No authority for that. All inmates get their allowed appeals.

I, of course, would immediately nullify any federal court order or mandate and do as I feel was best for my state.

So basically, you'd invent some sort of authority that basically allows the governor to function as a dictator. Hope you would enjoy your impeachment or arrest by federal agents.

There were many proponents of nullification in the early days of our nation. Besides, if the federal government is going to make up a power to stop an execution, why shouldn't the governor make up a power to make sure the federal government isn't violating the Constitution?

[12th Doctor]

I would commute all but the very worst of them.  The few who were too dangerous to be left alive would be executed, the rest would be given life in prison.

[DownWithTheLeft]

#3 most likely, although #1 and 2 are also possible

LOL however at people that oppose the death penalty but support abortion, shows where your values are

[KillerPollo]

#3 most likely, although #1 and 2 are also possible

LOL however at people that oppose the death penalty but support abortion, shows where your values are

I'm Pro-choice, as in I believe that the JUDGE has a right to choose whether the convict stays or goes

[Ebowed]

LOL however at people that oppose the death penalty but support abortion, shows where your values are

The fetus isn't a human life.

[DownWithTheLeft]

LOL however at people that oppose the death penalty but support abortion, shows where your values are

The fetus isn't a human life.

Funny how you love science sometimes but not at others

[Verily]

LOL however at people that oppose the death penalty but support abortion, shows where your values are

The fetus isn't a human life.

Funny how you love science sometimes but not at others

Science leans in his direction (though I wouldn't call it quite as decisive as on, say, evolution or climate change).