Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
When voters approved Proposition 66 last November, it was meant to fast track the appeals process for death row inmates and executions.
But after Thursday's decision from the California Supreme Court, that may no longer be the case.
So what does that mean for California inmates on death row?
Scott Shafer is the Senior Editor for KQED's Politics and Government desk.
"One of the key portions of Proposition 66 was that it was going to limit the appeals process, really what bogged down these death sentences. Sometimes these appeals drag on for decades. And so what voters ... thought they were voting for with Prop 66, was to limit those appeals to five years, telling the courts that all of these legal deals had to be wrapped up in 5 years. The Supreme Court yesterday, with a five to two decision, said, 'Well that's really kind of a goal. It's not mandatory, there's no penalty we're not going to enforce it.' That takes away a lot of teeth from Prop 66. That said, they did allow other parts of Prop 66 which should also expedite the process [for death row inmates]."
Quote has been edited for clarity.