Last week, the New Mexico legislature passed a bill to get rid of the state death penalty, making it the second state in the country to pass abolition legislation. (New Jersey abolished its death penalty in 2007.) Gov. Bill Richardson, who has traditionally supported capital punishment, said in February that he was reconsidering his stance and was "50-50" on whether he would veto the bill. "I'm struggling with my position, but I definitely have softened my view on the death penalty," he said. This past Monday, Richardson held "open office hours" to allow his constituents to make their voices heard; his office reports having received some 6,000 e-mails and phone calls on the matter since the weekend. The deadline for the governor to sign or veto the bill is midnight tonight.

New Mexico has been trying to pass abolition legislation for years. In 2005 and 2007, the House voted to repeal the death penalty, only for the Senate to block the bill. The recent success hinged largely on a strong push by murder victims' family members like Michelle Giger, whose father was fatally shot in Santa Rosa in 1984. "We don't want it. We don't need it. It doesn't work. So let's get rid of it," she said after the state's Senate Judiciary Committee voted 6-5 in favor of abolition.

Go here to read more about New Mexico's fight for abolition. To urge Gov. Richardson to sign the bill, call (505) 476-2225.

Thanks for reading,

Liliana Segura

Rights & Liberties Special Coverage

Seymour Hersh: "Executive Assassination Ring" Answered to Cheney, Had No Congressional Oversight
By Eric Black, MinnPost.com
Investigative journalist Sy Hersh dropped a bombshell revelation on Monday about international killings ordered under Bush. Read more »

No More 'Enemy Combatants' -- But Is Obama Merely Rebranding Bush's 'War on Terror'?
By Liliana Segura, AlterNet
Words matter, as Obama said on the campaign trail. But when it comes to his detention and counterterrorism policies, his actions are speaking louder. Read more »

CIA Confirms 12 of 92 Videotapes Destroyed Showed Prisoners Tortured
By Jason Leopold, TruthOut.org
ACLU: "This new information underscores the need for full and immediate disclosure of the CIA's illegal interrogation methods." Read more »

Bush Visits Canada: Will He Be Arrested for War Crimes?
By Garrett Zehr, The Tyee
Bush's diplomatic immunity is gone. Protesters are calling for his arrest as he visits Calgary to deliver a speech. Read more »

Mexico's Drug War Bloodbath: Guns from the U.S. Are Destabilizing the Country
By Silja J.A. Talvi, AlterNet
Mexican drug cartels have easy access to thousands of American gun dealers just on the other side of the border. Read more »

Brace Yourself Bernie Madoff, You Are Facing a Living Hell
By Anthony Papa, Huffington Post
When you look in the mirror you will think of your crime and how you wound up in prison. You will re-live your crime over and over. Read more »

Was Throwing a Shoe at Bush a Violent Act?
By Medea Benjamin, AlterNet
The infamous shoe-tossing incident has sparked a debate within the peace movement whether the act was appropriate and constitutes nonviolence. Read more »

Rep. Dennis Kucinich Seeks Investigation of Cheney "Assassination Ring"
By Staff, AlterNet
"If substantiated, the allegation would have far reaching implications for the United States," wrote Kucinich to the House Oversight Committee. Read more »

"Secret" Red Cross Report Confirms More Torture at CIA Black Sites
By Liliana Segura, AlterNet
Prisoners described being put in dog collars, having their heads slammed against walls, and forced inside "coffin-like" boxes. Read more »

Sheriff Arpaio Under Investigation By U.S. Justice Department
By Cara, Feministe
"The U.S. Justice Department has launched a civil-rights investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office." Read more »