Notable death penalty headlines

All the interest and interesting issues in the Tookie Williams' case should not completely overshadow some other noteworthy recent news and developments involving the death penalty.  Consider:

• This article reporting that "a county prosecutor is calling for New Jersey to abolish the death penalty, which he says exists in theory but not in practice" and operates as "a cruel hoax on victims' families."

• This article reporting that the "Mexican government formally abolished the last vestiges of its death penalty on Friday."

• This article reporting that "China will make court proceedings on death penalty appeals open to the public next year in a bid to safeguard human rights, the government said Thursday."