A Cincinnati Prosecutor Wants Justice Off Death Penalty Cases

A prosecutor in Cincinnati is calling on an Ohio Supreme Court justice who recently criticized the state's death penalty law to sit out decisions in cases involving capital punishment. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters on Friday sent a letter to judges and prosecutors across the state questioning Justice Paul Pfeifer's (PY'-furs) ability to "be fair to both sides." Pfeifer, a Republican, helped write Ohio's death penalty law as a state legislator in 1981, but has recently said it isn't working. In December, he told a House committee the law should be scrapped. Pfeifer said judges are permitted to suggest changes in state law. He said he knows "the difference between advocating for a change in the law and applying the law as it exists."