SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown says she wants to call a special session of the Legislature to address concerns about whether a new law narrowing the state’s use of the death penalty is retroactive.
The Oregon Department of Justice said in a recent opinion that former death row inmate Martin Allen Johnson cannot be sentenced to death upon retrial because of the new law.
Brown told reporters Wednesday she believes the new law needs clarity and wants lawmakers to make proposals. She hopes a special session would last less than one day.
House Republican Leader Carl Wilson said repealing the bill might be the best course of action in a special session, allowing ample time before the 2020 regular session to analyze the issue.
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