Part of the job of governor involves rendering the final word on executions when those on death row seek commutations or reprieves. On Thursday, Mike DeWine, just 10 days into his term as governor, received a letter from the federal public defender representing Warren Henness. Henness requested a reprieve from the lethal injection set for Feb. 13. His attorney argued, with good reason, that the protocol for conducting the death penalty is flawed to the point of violating state law and the Ohio constitution.
By Friday, the governor had done the right thing. He quickly issued a reprieve, the execution date moved to September.