ATTORNEY GENERAL/CRIME/JEFF SESSIONS/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT: “The Justice Department has agreed to seek the federal death penalty in at least two murder cases, in what officials say is the first sign of a heightened effort under Attorney General Jeff Sessions to use capital punishment to further crack down on violent crime.
In a decision made public Monday [1-8-18], Mr. Sessions authorized federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Billy Arnold, who is charged with killing two rival gang members in Detroit.
The decision followed the first death-penalty authorization under Mr. Sessions, made public Dec. 19, when he cleared prosecutors in Orlando to seek a death sentence against Jarvis Wayne Madison, who is charged with fatally shooting his estranged wife in 2016… Mr. Sessions views the death penalty as a ‘valuable tool in the tool belt,’ according to a senior Justice Department official. The official said the death penalty isn’t only a deterrent, but also a ‘punishment for the most heinous crimes prohibited under federal law.’
The Justice Department under President Donald Trump expects to authorize more death penalty cases than the previous administration did, the official said.”
-Nicole Hong and Aruna Viswanatha, “Attorney General Jeff Sessions Signals Greater Willingness to Use Death Penalty,” The Wall Street Journal online, Jan. 9, 2018 08:34am