Fewer Texans sentenced to death, executed amid “evolving standards of decency”

Protesters unload signs and speakers outside of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Huntsville unit shortly before Robert Roberson's scheduled execution on October 17, 2024. Hours later, the Texas Supreme Court temporarily stopped Roberson's execution. (Credit: Mark Felix for the Texas Tribunne)

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In 1982, Texas was the first in the world to execute an inmate by lethal injection, its first execution since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. Quickly, the state became the United States’ top executioner and is among the top three in imposing death sentences.