Media Contact

Janna Farley, jfarley@aclu.org

February 14, 2019

Today, the Wyoming Senate defeated a bill that would have repealed the state’s death penalty.

The ACLU of Wyoming supported House Bill 145 and is disappointed that it won’t move forward. Capital punishment is an intolerable denial of civil liberties and is inconsistent with the fundamental values of our democratic system. It is an unfair practice that does not enhance public safety or promote justice in Wyoming.

“We are immensely disappointed the Senate chose to keep the death penalty in Wyoming,” said Sabrina King, policy director for the ACLU of Wyoming. “It is costly, ineffective and it is disingenuous to keep it part of our criminal justice system as we cannot execute anyone even if we wanted to. We will continue fighting and look forward to the day we end this disgrace of a practice in our state.”

In addition to the ACLU of Wyoming, organizations like the Diocese of Cheyenne and the League of Women Voters of Wyoming supported House Bill 145.

About the ACLU of Wyoming

The American Civil Liberties Union of Wyoming is a non-partisan organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of civil liberties and civil rights. The ACLU believes freedoms of press, speech, assembly, and religion, and the rights to due process, equal protection, and privacy are fundamental to a free people. In addition, the ACLU seeks to advance constitutional protections for groups traditionally denied their rights, including people of color, women, and the LGBT communities. The ACLU of Wyoming carries out its work through selective litigation, lobbying at the state and local level, and through public education and awareness of what the Bill of Rights means for people of Wyoming,

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