Tennessee reportedly became the second state to allow child rapists to be executed.
Tennessee GOP Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill into law that authorizes the state to implement one of three penalties for the aggravated rape of a child: death, imprisonment for life without possibility of parole, or imprisonment for life.
In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in Kennedy v. Louisiana, which ruled it was unconstitutional to execute a convicted offender in child sexual battery cases.
“Maybe the atmosphere is different on the Supreme Court,” Tennessee GOP state Sen. Janice Bowling said. “We’re simply challenging a ruling.”
In May 2023, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill allowing child rapists to be executed.
