Democrats Enraged That Idaho Will Start Executing Pedophiles with a Firing Squad

Republicans in Idaho enacted a new legislation this week that would result in the firing squad execution of pedophiles found guilty of child rape, leaving Democrats stunned.

House Bill 515, which was enacted 57-11, stipulates that a pedophile who is found guilty of raping a kid under the age of 12 would be executed.

According to Lawandcrime.com, Republican co-sponsor Rep. Bruce Skaug has stated that the death sentence would only be applied in the most severe circumstances, such as repeat criminals. After that, the measure will be reviewed by a committee in the Idaho Senate.

Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen, a Republican, first voted against the bill, but after the vote was confirmed, she changed her mind. Regarding the rationale behind her altered vote, Michelsen remained silent. Before the vote, Mickelson told the Idaho Capital Sun that although she is concerned about horrible acts, Idaho funds would be better used to wait for the Supreme Court to make decisions in other instances. She was referring to newly passed Florida legislation that are anticipated to make their way to the highest court.

It is our responsibility to safeguard the youngsters from the deep, evil part of our civilization, according to Skaug. "Retribution is appropriate sometimes because things are so wicked."

Although Skaug stated that a death sentence would be "very rare," he did not rule out the possibility.

"And I say to you that this is the one case that needs to happen," he said after reading about it in the newspaper.

The death penalty is now only permitted in first-degree murder cases under Idaho law.

In the 2008 Kennedy v. Louisiana case, the U.S. Supreme Court decided 5–4 that the Eighth Amendment forbids the death sentence for rapists who target minors. Skaug stated unequivocally on the Idaho house floor that he thought the case had been improperly determined and that he still didn't think it was legal to execute child rapists.

Skaug said to the House legislators, "Well, there's constitutional and there's constitutional." "It depends on the day's court."

The Court rendered a narrowly split decision in Kennedy v. Louisiana. The five justices who comprised the majority, Anthony Kennedy, John Paul Stevens, Stephen Breyer, David Souter, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, are no longer serving on the court.

Judges Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Chief Justice John Roberts dissented from the ruling. Three of these justices remain on the bench today, joined by other judges who have adopted even more conservative stances than the late Justice Scalia did in several instances. With the current composition of the Court, the decision on the death penalty for child rape may very possibly be overturned.

Skaug informed the Idaho assembly that he thought the present Court would decide on the execution of child rapists differently if it didn't include the five justices that made up the Kennedy v. Louisiana majority.

Rebecca De León, a spokesman for the ACLU of Idaho, called the legal challenge to House Bill 515's legality "a complete waste of taxpayer dollars."

De León went on, "I highly doubt it will go to the Supreme Court because the Supreme Court has already made a ruling on this." "People who do not breach their rights under the Eighth Amendment are already subject to punishment under existing legislation.

De León's worries were shared by other opponents.

The lone Republican opponent of the measure, Rep. Jack Nelsen, stated that his major issue was the prudent use of public funds.

"Florida passed this test before. The courts have jurisdiction over it, Nelsen stated to the Idaho Capital Sun. "I don't see why we should spend hard-earned tax dollars in Idaho on a bill that will be resolved with some time and patience."

Similarly, Democratic Representative John Gannon declared on the House floor that the law was illegal and that the Supreme Court would not overrule itself. According to Gannon, money would be better spent on recruiting more detectives to crack cases.

Idaho enacted a bill allowing death row convicts to be killed by firing squad about a year ago.

The last fatal injection of Richard Albert Leavitt took place in Idaho in 2012. On February 28, serial murderer Thomas Creech is scheduled to be put to death by the state. With more than 44 years of waiting for his execution, Creech is the death row inmate in Idaho with the longest serving term.

Gerald Pizzuto, Jr., a dying prisoner, has spent thirty years on death row for the 1985 murders of two gold prospectors. The execution of Pizzuto was supposed to take place in March of last year, but it was postponed because Idaho was unable to get the medications required for the procedure. One of the reasons Idaho decided to bring back the use of the firing squad as a method of execution was the scarcity of chemicals.