Arizona Gov. Hobbs vows not to carry out sentence

Arizona Gov. Kathy Hobbs vowed Friday that her administration would not carry out the execution, even as the state Supreme Court appointed her over objections from the state’s new attorney general.

The Democratic Governor’s pledge not to execute Aaron Ganches on April 6 for his 2002 murder conviction came a day after the state Supreme Court said it must issue an execution warrant if certain appeal proceedings were completed and that those demands were met in Gances case. ‘ case.

Last week, Hobbs commissioned retired US Justice of the Peace David Duncan to look into the state’s procurement of lethal injection drugs and other death penalty protocols because of the state’s mismanagement of executions.

AZ PRISONER IN THE DEATH CAM WITHDRAWS HIS REQUEST FOR FULFILLMENT

“Under my administration, no execution will take place until the people of Arizona are satisfied that the state is not violating the law by enforcing the harshest penalties,” Hobbs said in a statement Friday.

Attorney General Chris Mays’ office said it would not seek court orders to carry out death sentences while Hobbs was being reviewed.

Mays, a Democrat who took office in January, tried to withdraw a request by her Republican predecessor, Mark Brnovich, to issue a warrant to Ganches. On Thursday, the court refused to withdraw the petition.

The court stated that Hobbs’s review “is not a valid reason for not issuing a warrant.”

Mays’ office declined to comment on Hobbs’ pledge not to carry out an execution next month.

Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs plans to ignore the execution date set by the state Supreme Court. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, file)

Hobbs argues that although the court authorized the execution of Ganches, his order does not require the state to enforce it.

Dale Bache, a former federal public defender who teaches death penalty law at Arizona State University, said Hobbs can use his powers as state chief executive when the state believes he cannot carry out an execution in a constitutionally acceptable way.

“What the governor has done is not unique,” said Bache, who hailed Hobbs’ move. “Governors in Alabama, Ohio, and Tennessee have recently used their powers to suspend executions because they had serious questions about protocols in their states.”

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted Ganches, issued a statement saying it believed Hobbs “bears constitutional and statutory responsibility for the execution of all sentences, including the execution of Aaron Ganches.”

ARIZONA GOV. KATHIE HOBBS ANNOUNCES NEW DEATH PENALTY REVIEW POSITION

The state of Arizona, home to 110 death row inmates, carried out three executions last year after a nearly eight-year hiatus due to criticism that the 2014 execution was a failure and difficulties obtaining drugs.

Since the resumption of executions, the state has been criticized for taking too long in early May to allow lethal injection into a prisoner’s body and for declining a request from the Arizona Republic newspaper to witness the last three executions.

Ganches is due to be executed April 6 for the 2002 murder of Ted Price, his girlfriend’s ex-husband, in Maricopa County.

Gunches, who is not a lawyer, represented himself in November when he asked the Supreme Court to issue a warrant for his execution so that justice could be served and the victims could close the case. In the last month of Brnovic’s tenure, his department asked the court for a warrant for the execution of Gunches.

But Güncez withdrew his request in early January, and Mace asked for the execution warrant issued during Brnovic’s tenure to be withdrawn.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In her statement, Hobbs also said Arizona’s penitentiary system has serious problems that need attention, citing a harsh court ruling that concluded the state violated the rights of inmates in state prisons by providing them with inadequate medical and mental health care. In her first month in office, Hobbs announced the formation of a commission to look into a range of problems in Arizona prisons, including staffing, prison conditions, and medical care offered to those behind bars.