New Oregon governor will continue death-penalty moratorium

SALEM – Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said she’ll continue a death-penalty moratorium imposed by her predecessor while she seeks a debate about “fixing the system.”

Speaking to the media for the first time since she took the reins of state government from John Kitzhaber, Brown on Friday offered a glimpse into her style as Oregon’s chief executive, but she offered few specifics about her plans.

On the death penalty, however, she made clear that she won’t be allowing any executions in the near future.

“There needs to be a broader discussion about fixing the system,” Brown said of the death penalty. “Until that discussion, I will be upholding the moratorium imposed by Gov. Kitzhaber.”

Kitzhaber announced in 2011 he would block all executions during his tenure, saying capital punishment is applied arbitrarily and calling for a statewide vote on whether it should remain in place. The vote never happened, and Kitzhaber did little to push for it.

The Oregon Supreme Court affirmed the governor’s power to issue reprieves when Kitzhaber was sued by Gary Haugen, an inmate convicted of two murders who wanted to waive his appeals and hasten his death.

Kitzhaber resigned effective Wednesday amid ongoing state and federal investigations into his fiancee’s work for advocacy groups. He has said they did nothing wrong. Brown said Kitzhaber did not seek a pardon, and she refused to say whether she’d grant one if he were convicted of a crime. He has not been charged.

“At this time, any response to that question would be speculative,” Brown said.