The number of judges dissenting — often strongly — from death penalty rulings is increasing, according to this Aug. 13, 2009, story in The New York Times.

In 2009, New Mexico joined the list of states no longer using capital punishment. Gov. Bill Richardson signed legislation in March repealing the state’s death penalty and replacing it with a maximum sentence of life without parole. This March 18, 2009, CNN story gives the details.

The case of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed by Texas in 2004 for setting a fire that killed his three daughters, was re-examined in light of assertions that Willingham may have been innocent and that evidence was overlooked by the authorities. A 2009 investigation by the Texas Forensic Science Commission found the claims that […]

Gallup publishes an annual survey each October on attitudes toward the death penalty. The January 2013 survey shows the consistency of general support for capital punishment: 63 percent in favor of the death penalty. The poll also shows Republicans and Independents are much more likely to support the death penalty than Democrats. But when given the choice […]

Read a June 12, 2013, Tucson Sentinel article about an Arizona court dismissing a lawsuit filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation after Gov. Jan Brewer proclaimed an “Arizona Day of Prayer.”  

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life has an analysis of the attitudes and practices of Americans regarding prayer.

The Pluralism Project at Harvard University has a good background paper on the history of the National Day of Prayer.

See reactions to the 2010 court ruling from various contributors at a special section from The Washington Post‘s “On Faith” blog.

The “Political Advocacy Tracker” at Christianity Today has a roundup of reactions from Christian groups to the 2010 National Day of Prayer court ruling.