Jeff Chiesa was recen­ty sworn in as New Jersey’s new Attorney General. He for­mer­ly served as chief coun­sel and exec­u­tive assis­tant to Governor Chris Christie. In dis­cussing his pri­or­i­ties, he said he would not sup­port rein­state­ment of the death penal­ty. Chiesa said his opin­ion on the top­ic had evolved over the years and he would not sup­port restor­ing it in the state. New Jersey abol­ished the death penal­ty in 2007, becom­ing the first state to enact such leg­is­la­tion in more than 40 years.

​“You can’t be wrong about it, and as good as our sys­tem is, there are going to be times when you are wrong about it,” Chiesa said in regards to risks of capital punishment.

(Associated Press, ​“New Jersey Attorney General Jeff Chiesa out­lines pri­or­i­ties,” Jan. 29, 2012, in N.J. Express Times). 

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