N.J. Lawmakers Nix Death Penalty

New Jersey is on the verge of becoming the first state in the country to repeal the death penalty by a legislative vote.

The toughest hurdle, a state senate vote, was cleared yesterday, and both the state house and New Jersey's governor are expected to approve putting an end to execution in short order, reports the New York Times.

Other legislatures—including, this year alone, those in Maryland, Montana, Nebraska and New Mexico—have debated repealing their death penalties, but since 1976 none has succeeded, the Times writes:

"So far, opponents of the death penalty have succeeded only through court rulings, like a decision declaring New York’s capital punishment statute unconstitutional, or through moratoriums imposed by a governor, like in Illinois and Maryland."