O'Malley Cements Progressive Legacy With Final Act
By commuting the death sentences of four prisoners, the governor sends another strong signal to some party activists.
Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley introduces US President Barack Obama at Prince Georges Community College on September 26, 2013 in Largo, Maryland.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Governor Martin O'Malley commuted the sentences of the four remaining Maryland inmates on death row, a gesture in his final days in office that secures his legacy as one of the country's most progressive governors.
O'Malley, a Catholic, pushed legislation through the Maryland General Assembly in 2013 to end the death penalty. That new ban was for future cases, leaving the inmates still facing execution in a legal limbo.