Opinion ID: 1536017
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 25

Heading: Customary International Law

Text: Defendant contends that New Jersey's Death Penalty Act, N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3c to -3i, violates international customary law and should be invalidated. He maintains that there is a trend in international law toward the abolition of the death penalty. Defendant further contends that in recent years N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3c(6), the victim impact statute, and N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3i, a provision making conduct causing serious bodily injury resulting in death eligible for the death penalty, were expansions to the Death Penalty Act. According to defendant, those expansions resulted in a violation of customary international law. As a result, he insists that this violation requires a reversal of his sentence. We disagree. The Court previously rejected this argument in State v. Nelson when we stated that [i]nternational law does not require invalidation of New Jersey's death penalty. 155 N.J. 487, 512, 715 A. 2d 281 (1998), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 119 S.Ct. 890, 142 L.Ed. 2d 788 (1999). We reaffirm our decision finding that international law does not invalidate New Jersey's Death Penalty Act.