democracy by another name:leviticus!

We're in Iran, right?

BIBLE DEATH SENTENCE DROPPED
30.3.2005. 11:21:58

The highest court in the US state of Colorado has thrown out a death penalty ruling, after jurors consulted the Bible while reaching their verdict a decade ago.

In a split 3-2 decision, the state’s Supreme Court ruled jurors must not deliberate “without the aid or distraction of extraneous texts” and annulled Robert Harlan’s death sentence on kidnapping, rape and murder charges, instead ordering him to serve life without parole.

In his 1995 trial, the jury voted unanimously for the death penalty after Harlan was found guilty of kidnapping and raping at gunpoint Rhonda Maloney, before fatally shooting the 25-year-old cocktail waitress.

Harlan later admitted the charges, but said he was under the influence of cocaine, alcohol and rage.

But his defence team revealed five trial jurors had looked up Bible verses, copied them down and talked about them while deliberating behind closed doors.

During the appeal, one juror admitted she studied Romans and Leviticus, including Leviticus 24, which includes the line: “eye for eye, tooth for tooth”.

Harlan lawyer Kathleen Lord argued the jurors had gone outside the law, claiming “They went to the Bible to find out God's position on capital punishment.”

Prosecutors countered, saying jurors should be allowed to refer to the Bible or other religious texts during deliberations.

But the Supreme Court ruled juries can’t turn to the Bible for advice during deliberations, concluding “at least one juror could have been influenced by these authoritative passages” to vote for the death penalty rather than a life sentence.

Noting it takes a unanimous jury to impose a death sentence in Colorado, the court said ''at least one juror in this case could have been influenced by these authoritative passages ... when he or she may otherwise have voted for a life sentence.''

The dissenting two judges claimed Bibles were used to seek wisdom as opposed to facts or alternative legal interpretations.

The US Constitution calls for a separation between church and state, and the Supreme Court noted in its ruling that the Bible and other religious texts are considered "codes of law by many" in Colorado

Colorado Governor Bill Owens entered the debate, saying the ruling was “demeaning to people of faith and prevents justice from being served.”

The conservative Christian group ‘Focus on the Family’ also criticised the decision.

“Today's ruling further confirms that the judicial branch of our government is nearly bereft of any moral foundation,'' Tom Minnery, the group's vice president for government and public policy, told the Associated Press.