State in the US abolishes the death penalty

Washington state has passed a bill to abolish the death penalty, codifying a previous court ruling against the practice. Governor Jay Inslee signed the bill into law on Thursday, making Washington the 23rd US state to do away with capital punishment. Opponents of the death penalty, including the Washington chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, praised the new legal changes. Washington has carried out five executions since capital punishment was reinstated by the US Supreme Court in 1978, with the most recent in 2010.