Sen. McKinney, supporters ask Nebraska voters to abolish death penalty

Senator Terrell McKinney, who represents District 11 in North Omaha, opened a Judiciary Committee hearing on LR15CA, a proposed constitutional amendment that would abolish the death penalty in Nebraska.

McKinney said the state’s existing punishment amounts to “what amounts to a mental torture penalty” and called the death penalty “fundamentally inhumane.”

Why it matters: The amendment would put abolition before voters, enshrining the change in the state constitution rather than leaving it to court rulings or legislative action. Supporters told the committee abolition would reduce unnecessary government spending, reduce the risk of irreversible error, and address racial and economic disparities in who receives…