Sen. Ted Kennedy, death penalty opponent despite having two brothers murdered, passes away at 77

A family member of two murder victims, Sen. Ted Kennedy opposed the death penalty

From The Washington Post’s “Why Ted Kennedy Can’t Stand Still“: “I even opposed the death penalty for the man who killed my brother!”

Kennedy to Death Penalty Information Center: “The system is not working,” cites “lack of fairness in the imposition of the death penalty” and “the risk of executing the innocent”

Kennedy’s voting record on issues related to the death penalty

From OnTheIssues:

• Moratorium on death penalty; more DNA testing. (March 2001)
• Require DNA testing for all federal executions. (March 2001)
• Voted NO on limiting death penalty appeals. (April 1996)
• Voted NO on rejecting racial statistics in death penalty appeals. (May 1994)