FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 1, 2026) – Attorney General Russell Coleman announced today he urged the federal government to help overcome the delays in the lawful imposition of the death penalty. General Coleman joined a 16-state coalition to support a proposal by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to streamline federal review of state capital murder convictions. Nationally, the average time spent on death row is more than two decades.
In Kentucky, it currently takes even longer. For example, Vincent Stopher’s case has been pending in federal district court since 2008. Stopher was sentenced to death in 1998 for the 1997 murder of a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy. Following Attorney General Coleman's additional focus on delivering justice to surviving families, Stopher’s case was finally submitted for a ruling in January 2025.
Federal law provides death penalty challenges shouldn’t stall in federal court, but a regulation adopted by the Obama Administration has created seemingly endless bureaucratic delays. On his first day in office, President Trump issued an executive order prioritizing victims and surviving families in capital cases and promising to work collaboratively with states. The executive order read in part, “It is the policy of the United States to ensure that the laws that authorize capital punishment are respected and faithfully implemented, and to counteract the politicians and judges who subvert the law by obstructing and preventing the execution of capital sentences.”
“Too many convicted killers are seeking to avoid justice through delays in the imposition of the death penalty. We will continue fighting to protect the verdicts lawfully delivered by Kentucky juries and the families who deserve justice,” Attorney General Coleman said.
Since he was sworn in as Attorney General in 2024, Attorney General Coleman has made it a priority to deliver justice to those families. In March, the AG’s legal team argued before Franklin Circuit Court for the dismissal of the main legal roadblock to the lawful imposition of the death penalty. A dismissal of the case would clear the way for about a dozen executions. Read more here.
General Coleman joined the Alabama-led letter, along with attorneys general from Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas.
Read the letter here.