The United States Supreme Court today delayed the execution of Tommy Arthur, an inmate who’s been on death row in Alabama for twenty years, not because they believe Tommy may be innocent, but because they will soon consider whether lethal injections (the common method of execution in the U.S.) constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.
The Innocence Project is calling on Alabama Governor Bob Riley to take advantage of this delay to order DNA testing in the case, but the Governor has so far refused. The testing would take about four weeks and could be completed well before the Supreme Court deliberates on the lethal injection issue.
Why would the Governor refuse to allow the testing? When a man’s life is at stake, shouldn’t every effort be made to ensure justice is done, whether that means proving Tommy is innocent or guilty?
The Innocence Project has prepared a web page through which you can send a message to Governor Riley asking for DNA testing in this case: http://www.innocenceproject.org/testing-for-tommy