The Oregonian reports, "Death-row inmate Gary Haugen loses legal bid to force his own execution," by Helen Jung.
Oregon death-row inmate Gary Haugen's legal quest to force his own execution ended Tuesday when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to consider his case.
Without comment, the court denied his petition for writ of certiorari. The court turns down the vast majority of requests it receives each year to review a case.
The decision effectively guarantees that Haugen, twice-convicted of murder and sentenced to death by a jury in 2007, will continue to live on death row for the duration of Gov. John Kitzhaber's term in office. Haugen had waived his legal appeals in 2011 as a way of protesting the legal system, and demanded that the state carry out his death sentence. .
But two weeks before Haugen's planned execution date, Kitzhaber issued a reprieve and declared he would not allow any executions as long as he is governor. Kitzhaber criticized capital punishment as "morally wrong" and argued that Oregon's system "fails to meet basic standards of justice."
"US Supreme Court declines Ore. inmate's case," is AP coverage, via the San Francisco Chronicle.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Tuesday to consider the case of Oregon death row inmate Gary Haugen, who sought to force his own execution.
And:
Haugen sued Kitzhaber, and in 2012 a judge agreed with the inmate's arguments that he had to accept the reprieve in order for it to be effective. The Oregon Supreme Court overturned that decision, finding that the governor's action needed no such acceptance.
Haugen's lawyer then sought U.S. Supreme Court review of one federal claim — that the uncertainty of the timeline for carrying out Haugen's sentence constituted cruel and unusual punishment, in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
Earlier coverage from Oregon begins at the link; you can also jump to coverage of the Oregon Supreme Court ruling, now the final word on the Oregon governor's clemency authority.
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