The Nation in Shock as Catholic Communities Attack DeSantis Directly

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been igniting Catholic fury with his new laws.

Catholic organizations criticized a new Florida law eliminating the requirement for a unanimous jury in death sentence cases.

The Catholic communities are not holding back. They called it "stunning" and a "thinly veiled attack on human life," while the state's governor, a prospective candidate for the presidency in 2024, claims the measure allows for the proper administration of justice.

On April 20, Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation allowing capital punishment in situations where the jury's recommendation was at least 8-4 in favor of the death penalty, superseding the state's prior criterion for unanimous verdicts in such cases.

Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, the Catholic Mobilizing Network executive director, who opposed the death penalty, described the governor's action as gravely troubling.

According to the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, it is "stunning" that DeSantis and the Florida legislature would repeal the "common sense" law from just six years ago that demanded unanimous verdict approval before someone could be put to death.

The Florida legislature supported the bill on a bipartisan basis

Republican DeSantis has pushed for the legislation since a split jury decided 9-3 to spare Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz from the death penalty last October. Cruz instead was given a life sentence without the possibility of release, which infuriated the victims' relatives.

DeSantis signed the said law in a private ceremony the Parkland victim's families attended.

Florida is one of just three states out of the 27 that practice the death penalty under the new statute that does not demand unanimous approval of a death sentence.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Florida has absolved 30 people on death row since 1973, the most in the country.

What do you think about the new laws in Florida?

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