Two Republican lawmakers in Oklahoma, who have traditionally been supporters of the death penalty, are calling for a temporary halt to executions in the state. State Reps. Kevin McDugle and Justin J.J. Humphrey believe that there have been system-wide failures in the Oklahoma justice system that have affected those on death row. They are specifically concerned about ineffective defense counsel and prosecutorial overreach. McDugle and Humphrey are calling for a pause in executions to reexamine all 37 pending death row cases in Oklahoma. They argue that the system needs to be fixed to ensure that only those deserving of the death penalty are executed.

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