OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The Oklahoma Legislature is pushing forward a bill to allow the death penalty for child rapists, despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that such a penalty is unconstitutional.
A Senate committee on Wednesday passed a bill already approved in the House that authorizes the death penalty for raping a child age 6 or younger. The offender must have a previous felony conviction that carries a prison sentence of 10 years or more.
Senate author Anthony Sykes says he hopes the law might be upheld since the court makeup has changed since its 2008 ruling that a similar law in Louisiana was unconstitutional.
In that 5-4 decision, the court ruled the death penalty is restricted to murder and crimes against the state, like espionage and treason.
Legal scholars say it's unlikely the Oklahoma law would be upheld.
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