Judge orders California’s death penalty unconstitutional

U.S. Dis­trict Judge Cor­mac J. Car­ney, rul­ing on a pe­ti­tion by death row in­mate Ern­est De­wayne Jones, said Cali­for­nia’s death pen­alty vi­ol­ates the U.S. Con­sti­tu­tion’s ban on cruel and un­usu­al pun­ish­ment.