A recent op-ed by former Texas Governor Mark White (pictured) and former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerald Kogan criticized a recently passed North Carolina law that imposes secrecy on the source of lethal injection drugs and removes execution procedures from public review and comment. The authors said the new law will only prolong litigation, rather than ending North Carolina’s hold on executions, as intended. The op-ed also maintained that the new policy violates democratic principles: “The foundation of our constitutional republic lies in accountability and transparency, enabling American citizens to learn and debate about policy. Yet citizens cannot engage in robust conversations when basic information is hidden.” Arguing that both supporters and opponents of the death penalty should oppose secrecy, they said, “Regardless of our views on the death penalty, Americans must maintain a principled approach to its implementation. The standard ought to be the U.S. Constitution, which mandates the government impose no cruel and unusual punishments. As long as states implement the death penalty, we must ensure they follow this constitutional standard.”

(M. White and G. Kogan, “On death penalty drugs, what does NC have to hide?,” News & Observer (NC), August 17, 2015). See New Voices and Lethal Injection.

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