Anti-death penalty group wants execution pause from Texas Gov-elect Hinojosa
AUSTIN, Texas - An anti-death penalty group is calling for Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa to stop all executions in Texas.
The Execution Intervention Project has a plan on how to do it.
By the numbers:
Death row in Texas currently holds 163 people, according to a spokesperson with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
What they're saying:
On Monday, an effort was launched to keep as many of those inmates alive as possible.
"Is this Blue Wave going to mean anything? As long as executions continue to happen, then the blue wave is a farce," said the Rev. Jeff Hood, who leads the Execution Intervention Project.
Hood is a familiar voice against the death penalty. In his call for change Monday, Hood said it's not enough for Hinojosa to say she doesn’t support executions.
"We are not asking, for somebody, for just another politician to say, I'm personally opposed to something, but do nothing about it," said Hood.
Hood's to-do list for the governor-elect includes:
- 30-day pause on all executions
- Slow purchase of lethal injection drugs
- Disclose how the drugs are used
- Replace the Board of Pardons & Parole with people who support commuting death sentences
- Force all state lawmakers to take a public stance on the issue
- Close the execution chamber for renovation
- Veto any budget allocation that supports the death penalty
"We want to hear that this system is broken. We want to hear that Texas cannot keep on executing people in this system. And keep her campaign promises of providing a better life for Texans," said Hood.
The other side:
Kristina Byington, whose cousin Anita Byington was killed in a high-profile murder case, rejected Hood's reform effort.
"Instead of focusing on criminals, what I hope the governor will do is focus on the victims of these criminals," said Byington.
Hinojosa does not have the power to commute all death sentences, by herself. There is a specific process that involves the Board of Pardons and Parole.
It is not possible to do a whole-scale commutation like the recent act by California Governor Gavin Newsome. Reportedly, Newson did not even consult with families of the crime victims.
Trying to do a smaller scale, backdoor commute, while ignoring victims is disgusting, according to Byington.
"I think this is incredibly ridiculous. The governor hasn't even taken office yet, and you're already asking her to cater to the most violent among us? I would think that she has a lot of other things on her plate to come fight for these violent offenders and to undo justice that the justice system already decided," said Byington.
Republican lawmaker calling for limiting governor power
Big picture view:
A governor in Texas has broad powers involving emergency declarations. The office can bring an immediate change to the law with an Emergency Executive Order.
Controlling that power is a sore spot for state lawmaker Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian).
"So not just on things like capital punishment, but on the whole panoply of issues from border security to our Second Amendment rights to our pro-life laws to laws protecting our oil and gas industry. She could wreak absolute havoc on all of those things just by the stroke of her pen," said State Rep. Harrison.
Legislation to restrict the use of executive orders failed 3 years ago. Harrison has called for a Special Session to take it up again. If that doesn’t happen, Harrison has a new Bill in the hopper for the 2027 session: HB 708.
Harrison told FOX 7 Austin Hinojosa, while in the House, as well as incoming Attorney General Nathan Johnson, who was in the state Senate, have both, in the past, supported his reform idea.
"I absolutely would outreach to the new governor and the new attorney general and say, Governor Hinojosa, Attorney General Johnson, you all have committed to me for years you wanted to rein in these powers. Let's work together to do it. Let's protect constitutional separation of powers and let's demonstrate true bipartisanship," said Harrison.
What's next:
FOX 7 Austin reached out to Governor Elect Hinojosa for comment. A response has not yet been received.
The Source: Information in this report comes from reporting/interviews by FOX 7 Austin's Rudy Koski.