Call to Restore England's Death Penalty: The relatives of a victim murdered by a British man found guilty today of killing five women are asking the government to restore the death penalty. A report by Angela Balakrishnan in today's Guardian quotes a statement by the family of Tania Nicol, Suffolk sex predator Steve Wright's last victim,"....the person responsible will be kept warm, nourished and protected. In no way has justice been done. These crimes deserve the ultimate punishment and that can only mean one thing." The nude bodies of the five women were found in remote spots around Ipswich between October and December of 2006. Wright became a suspect when his DNA was matched with samples found on his victims.

California DP Moratorium Commission met in Los Angeles yesterday as reported in a Los Angeles Times story by Henry Weinstein. The group, called the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice, is similar to those established earlier in New Jersey and Florida, with a majority of death penalty opponents as members. Testifying before yesterday's hearing were academics, defense attorneys and the relative of a murder victim who experienced a "spiritual epiphany" causing her to now oppose capital punishment. One highlight was the testimony of San Bernardino County DA Michael Ramos which emphasized the care his office takes in determining if it should seek a death sentence in a particular case.

An ACLU Challenge to the Government's surveillance of communications by suspected terrorists was denied review by the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday as reported by the Los Angeles Times. While most stories regarding the case termed the government's action as domestic wiretapping or spying, (example) in reality, the National Security Agency has been intercepting communications between terrorist suspects in the United States and individuals in foreign countries and communications from one suspect in a foreign country to another person in a different foreign country which may be routed through a U.S. communications hub. Congress is currently considering whether to allow the surviellance to continue.