Denver
The Colorado Supreme Court threw out a murderer’s death sentence this week because jurors consulted the Bible during their deliberations. Robert Harlan was convicted in 1995 of raping and murdering a cocktail waitress near Denver. Several jurors said they studied Bible passages—including the Old Testament’s “eye for eye, tooth for tooth”—before sentencing Harlan to death. The court’s majority said the Bible was a “distraction” that kept jurors from making up their own minds. “They went to the Bible to find out God’s position on capital punishment,” defense attorney Kathleen Lord said. The conservative Christian group Focus on the Family said the ruling confirmed that the nation’s courts were “nearly bereft of any moral foundation.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Time-honored political tactic: Throw your wife under the bus'Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
-
Best non-alcoholic spirits for summer cocktailsThe Week Recommends As hard liquor takes a backseat for many, the ingredients for the perfect mocktail are dryly delicious
-
Will Biden's tariffs hinder China's EV dominance?Today's Big Question Climate change goals and American jobs in tension
