From this day forward, I no longer shall tinker with the machinery of death. ... I fell morally and intellectually obligated simply to concede that the death penalty experiment has failed.
Harry A. BlackmunRead
I cannot see any of these death penalty cases where there hasn't been a violation on the ground of either poverty or race. If we can ever get that straightened out, it will help. But, of course, the real answer to it is to do away with the death penalty.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that issues of poverty and race are fundamental in death penalty cases, suggesting that addressing these issues is crucial for justice.
Harry A. Blackmun highlights the systemic inequalities present in the application of the death penalty, emphasizing that violations related to socio-economic status and racial discrimination play a significant role in such cases. He argues that to achieve true justice, these underlying issues must be addressed, ultimately pointing to the need for the abolition of the death penalty itself to prevent further injustices.
Themes
Death PenaltyJusticePovertyRaceSystemic Inequality
In practice
Example use cases
During a conference on criminal justice reform, this quote could be used to illustrate the need for systemic changes in the legal system.
More from Harry A. Blackmun
All quotes →Of one thing, however, I am certain. Just as an execution without adequate safeguards is unacceptable, so too is an execution when the condemned prisoner can prove that he is innocent. The execution of a person who can show that he is innocent comes perilously close to simple murder.
Harry A. BlackmunRead
The right of an individual to conduct intimate relationships in the intimacy of his or her own home seems to me to be the heart of the Constitutions protection of privacy.
Harry A. BlackmunRead
From this day forward, I no longer shall tinker with the machinery of death.
Harry A. BlackmunRead
In order to get beyond racism, we must first take account of race. There is no other way. And in order to treat some persons equally, we must treat them differently.
Harry A. BlackmunRead
I hope you will be yourself, human, even a little sentimental, possessed of a sense of humor and a sense of humility. . . . There are arrogant people in this world and, what is worse, arrogant judges.
Harry A. BlackmunRead
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