Nebraska abolishes death penalty
Conservative lawmakers lent their backing to the override of governor's veto. The state's last execution was in 1997.
LINCOLN, Neb. - Nebraska abolished the death penalty on Wednesday over the governor's objections in a move pushed through the legislature with unusual backing from conservatives who oppose capital punishment for religious, financial or practical reasons.
Senators in the one-house legislature voted 30-19 to override the veto of Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican who supports the death penalty. The vote makes Nebraska the first traditionally conservative state to eliminate the punishment since North Dakota in 1973.
The override vote - passed by the narrowest possible margin - drew a burst of applause from death penalty opponents in the gallery above the legislative chamber.
"Whenever anything historic occurs, it's never the doing of one person," said Sen. Ernie Chambers, an independent who introduced a repeal measure 38 times during his tenure in the legislature. "I've been pushing for this for 40 years but all of this time it's never been done. If it could be done by one man, it would have been done a long time ago."
Nebraska joins 18 other states and the District of Columbia in banning the ultimate punishment. Shortly after the vote, Ricketts issued a statement condemning the legislature.
"My words cannot express how appalled I am that we have lost a critical tool to protect law enforcement and Nebraska families," Ricketts said in a statement.
Nebraska's action to repeal the death penalty is unusual because of its traditionally conservative leanings. Maryland was the last state to end capital punishment, in 2013.
Some senators said they philosophically support the death penalty but became convinced the state will never carry out another execution because of legal obstacles. Nebraska hasn't had an execution since 1997.