13 August 2023 :
(August 10, 2023) - Pardon Board acts quickly to comply with Governor's request for clemency hearings
Acting 1 day after Gov. John Bel Edwards asked them to do so, the Louisiana Pardon Board on Thursday scheduled hearings for 20 of the 56 death row inmates seeking clemency.
The board is planning to hear 5 cases on each of the 4 new dates.
The Louisiana District Attorneys Association quickly condemned the move.
“It is unfortunate that the survivors and their families are being thrust into this chaos,” Loren Lampert, the group’s executive director, said in a statement. “Rest assured that district attorneys, and their staff, are steadfastly working at this very moment to determine the best course of action on how to make sure that the victims are heard, and justice prevails.”
Edwards, a devout Catholic, wants to empty death row because of his opposition to capital punishment on pro-life grounds.
He is asking the Pardon Board to accelerate the process in order to complete their work before he leaves office in January.
It’s not clear when or if the 5-member board will schedule hearing dates for the other 36 death row inmates who have filed clemency cases.
The scheduled hearing dates – Oct. 13, Nov. 7, Nov. 13 and Nov. 27 – meet the 60-day notice requirement for the district attorneys and families of the victims.
