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Senate advances bill to expand capital penalty to sexual abuse of young child amid constitutional debate
Summary
Sen. Matt Stone's Senate Bill 375 would make certain sexual assaults of children 13 and younger eligible for capital punishment. Supporters framed the bill as protecting children from severe abuse; opponents cited U.S. Supreme Court precedent (Kennedy v. Louisiana) and warned of procedural, evidentiary and resource challenges.
Sen. Matt Stone presented Senate Bill 375, which would expand capital punishment eligibility to certain sexual offenses against children age 13 or younger. Stone framed the measure as responding to horrific child abuse and argued for the state's ability to impose the severest penalties in extreme cases.
Dylan Jacobs, deputy solicitor general with the Attorney General's Office, described the constitutional landscape and acknowledged that current U.S. Supreme Court precedent (Kennedy v. Louisiana, 2008) bars capital…
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