Voters in California, Nebraska, Oklahoma Endorse Death Penalty

Voters in California, Nebraska, and Oklahoma endorsed the death penalty in a series of ballot initiatives, according to the criminal justice nonprofit Marshall Project.

In California, voters appear to have rejected repealing the death penalty and also endorsed a measure that its sponsors say would expedite executions in the state. The Marshall Project reports it guarantees years of litigation over new procedures designed to empty the largest death row in the U.S.

Nebraska voters rejected their own lawmakers in restoring the death penalty, which had been repealed in 2015. Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts led the campaign to bring the penalty back. The Cornhusker State has 10 death row inmates that have been in limbo for 18 months, according to the Marshall Project.

In Oklahoma, the state's Constitution was amended to confirm the death penalty is not "cruel and unusual punishment" under the Eighth Amendment. It also gave lawmakers the ability to change execution methods if one is declared unconstitutional.

The Marshall Project also reported on states that enacted some measures for criminal justice reform.

Those included California's Proposition 57, which provides those serving time for nonviolent felonies the opportunity for parole and early-release credits.

Oklahoma enacted SQ 780, which reclassifies many felonies as misdemeanors, including personal use amounts of all drugs.

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