The Arizona Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal Tuesday arguing the state’s death penalty law is unconstitutionally arbitrary. The decision came without comment from the justices.
The appeal was filed on behalf of a murder defendant whose position was supported by 10 other defendants. Under U.S. Supreme Court decisions, death is supposed to be reserved for the worst of the worst murders, and states' laws are supposed to define those cases. But the appeal said the numerous possible circumstances when the death penalty could apply in Arizona makes the law unconstitutional. There are 14 aggravating factors in the state, and a jury only needs to find one of them to sentence a defendant to death.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
