Judge Rules California's Death Penalty Unconstitutional

A federal judge in Orange County ruled on Wednesday that California’s death penalty violates the U.S. constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment because of decades-long delays in executions. Judge Cormac Carney, ruling on death row inmate Ernest Jones’ appeal, said the state’s death penalty is a “system in which arbitrary factors, rather than legitimate ones… determine whether an individual will actually be executed.” We discuss the ruling and whether it will hold up when challenged in higher courts.

• More: Los Angeles Judge Strikes Down California Death Penalty