Fighting the Death Penalty

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.

• Contents Foreword, by Michael L. Radelet Preface 1. Committee Proposal 20 of the Legislative Powers Committee of the Michigan Constitutional Convention, Dated January 11, 1962 [authored by Mr. Wanger, it was adopted by the Convention with only three dissenting votes] 2. Reasons in Support of Committee Proposal 20, Submitted by the Committee on Legislative Powers to the Convention on January 11, 1962 [authored by Mr. Wanger] 3. Verbatim Debate of the Michigan Constitutional Convention on Committee Proposal 20, on January 16 and April 30, 1962, from its Official Record, 595–598, 2968 4. Legislative Committee Hearing Testimony, March 15, 1973 5. Does the Parole Risk of Convicted Murderers Justify Reviving the Death Penalty in Michigan? (Leaflet), March, 1974 6. Death—Ultimate Penalty—Proves Itself the Ultimate Injustice for All (Leaflet), April 30, 1974 7. Michigan Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Hearing Testimony, February 10, 1975 8. Death Ban Defended—Michigan Committee against Capital Punishment Press Release, April 7, 1975 9. Michigan Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Hearing Testimony, April 7, 1975 10. Why We Should Reject Capital Punishment (Pamphlet), 1978 [originally published by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan] 11. Why Michigan Republicans Should Oppose the Death Penalty (Brochure), August, 1980 [for the Republican State Convention] 12. Capital Punishment and Law Enforcement, September 26, 1975 [included in Brochure #11] 13. Eye for Eye No Aid, by Michigan Lt. Governor James Brickley, 1974 [included in Brochure #11] 14. Representative Assembly of the State Bar of Michigan Speech, September 23, 1982 [it subsequently voted to oppose repeal of the State’s constitutional death penalty ban by a margin of more than 2 to 1] 15. Michigan Committee Against Capital Punishment History (Leaflet), October, 1991 16. The Death Penalty—What it Does to the Living, by William Kime and Eugene G. Wanger (Brochure), April, 1993 17. Legislative Committee Hearing Testimony, September 8, 1994 18. What Prosecutors Won’t Tell You, by Robert M. Morgenthau (Leaflet), February, 1995 (America’s most distinguished prosecutor) [Abstract] 19. Legislative Committee Hearing Testimony, July 13, 1995 20. Legislative Committee Hearing Written Testimony, October 7, 1997, with covering letter 21. Will Innocent Persons Be Executed?—Another Perspective, by Michael Radelet (Leaflet), November, 1998 22. Michigan’s Historic Ban of Capital Punishment (Leaflet), December, 1998 23. The Co$t of Capital Puni$hment (Leaflet), December, 1998 24. Documentation for “The Co$t of Capital Puni$hment” (Leaflet), December, 1998 25. Legislative Committee Hearing Testimony, March 23, 1999 26. Would the Death Penalty for “Cop Killers” Help the Police?, May, 1999 27. Documentation for “Would the Death Penalty for ‘Cop Killers’ Help the Police?,” Leaflet, May, 1999 28. Michiganians Speak Out on the Death Penalty, excerpted from an Article in the New York Times by R. Bonner & F. Fessenden (Leaflet), September, 2000 [Abstract] 29. How States Stack Up on Death, an Article in the New York Times by F. Fessenden (Leaflet), September, 2000 [Abstract] 30. Michigan & Capital Punishment, an Article from the Michigan Bar Journal (Brochure), September, 2002 31. Capital Punishment in Ohio: A Brief History, an Article in the Ohio Lawyer (Brochure), November/December, 2002 32. Will Innocent Persons Be Executed If the Death Penalty Is Revived in Michigan? (Leaflet), February, 2004 33. Documentation for “Will Innocent Persons be Executed if the Death Penalty Is Revived in Michigan” Leaflet, February, 2004 34. Legislative Committee Hearing Testimony, March 9, 2004 35. Legislative Committee Hearing Testimony, March 16, 2004 36. A Christian Pastor’s View of the Death Penalty, by L.M. Hall (Leaflet), March 16, 2004 37. New York Legislative Committee Hearing Written Testimony, January 21, 2005 38. A Basic Overview of the Arguments against the Death Penalty (Brochure), 2009 39. Data on the USA’s Nineteen Abolition States, March 7, 2015 Appendix. Reasons for Reviving Capital Punishment in Michigan and Why They Are Wrong, 1989

2017 CHOICE Magazine Outstanding Academic Title — 2017 CHOICE Magazine Outstanding Academic Title The Journey of Hope, long a leading international organization seeking the abolition of the death penalty in America, has named Michigan attorney Eugene G. Wanger as “Abolitionist of the Century.”—Ingham County Legal News — Ingham County Legal News, 2019 Journey of Hope Abolitionist of the Century 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 "The well-designed 230–page book offers clear insights into the subject . . . While repetitious at times because of the inclusion of his judicial testimonies, it's not boring, presenting numerous arguments relating to the subject." — Ray Walsh, Lansing State Journal