Description: Michigan is the only state in the country that has an anti-death penalty clause written into its constitution--Eugene G. Wanger's compelling arguments against capital punishment is a large reason the law was put in place. The forty pieces in this volume are writings created or used by the author, who penned the prohibition clause, during his half-century as a death penalty abolitionist. This collection is not only a fifty-year history of the anti-death penalty argument in America, it is also a detailed and challenging example of how the argument against capital punishment may be successfully made.
Brief description:
Lawyer, author, and longtime opponent of capital punishment Eugene G. Wanger received the Champion of Justice Award from the Michigan Bar and is the author of the state's constitutional ban of the death penalty. He has been a member of the legal profession for over half a century.
Review Quotes: Wanger, lawyer, legal scholar, and Michigan's foremost authority on the death penalty, presents readers with an insightful history of the topic in this compilation of essays and speeches. His analyses clearly show his commitment to facts and data rather than merely employing an emotional or ideological approach in questioning the state's imposition of capital punishment. The volume offers 40 of the author's essays in chronological order that highlight his life-long attempt to inform and persuade the public and opinion leaders about why this supreme penalty should be rejected. Fighting the Death Penalty is a valuable resource--suitable for both reference and circulating collections--that will significantly aid novice and seasoned scholars researching the controversies of this centuries-old debate.--C. A. Groves, Middle Tennessee State University "CHOICE Connect"