Article of Interest: Former U.S. Judge Andy Lester Calls on Oklahoma to Implement Reforms to ​“Badly Broken” Capital Punishment System Before Continuing Executions

“From start to finish, it is so badly broken that we cannot know whether someone who has been condemned to death is actually deserving of the ultimate penalty,” wrote former U.S. Magistrate Judge Andy Lester in a September 12, 2024 op-ed for The Oklahoman. Before carrying out any new executions, Mr. Lester calls on the state to implement new reforms to its “broken” capital punishment system. Although the Oklahoma Death Penalty Review Commission provided 45 specific recommendations and one general recommendation in its 300-page report released in 2017, almost none have been implemented. Despite the Commission’s unanimous recommendation that executions should not resume until significant reforms occur, the moratorium in place at the time was lifted. 

Mr. Lester highlights the fallibility of the current system in the case of Emmanuel Littlejohn, who is the next death row prisoner scheduled for execution. The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board recently recommended clemency for Mr. Littlejohn, whose execution is currently scheduled for September 26, but the final decision now rests with Governor Kevin Stitt, who has only granted clemency once during his 5-year tenure. “Oklahomans certainly agree that, before we execute someone, we must know for certain that person deserves the death penalty. We cannot know that in this case. When Gov. Stitt reviews Littlejohn’s case, let’s hope he strongly considers the Parole Board’s recommendation,” concluded Mr. Lester.