Commentary: Bias in the justice system is real, and the death penalty reveals it
When Gov. Gavin Newsom suspended the death penalty in California last week, he cited an "ineffective, irreversible and immoral" process that, from trial to execution, is tainted by racial discrimination.
African Americans bear the brunt of the bigotry; they're the most overrepresented on death row. In a state that is only 6 percent black, more than one-third of defendants sentenced to death in California are black. Decades of studies have uncovered ways that race can tip the scales. For example, in capital cases where the victim is white, defendants are significantly more
