Article: Pataki signs death penalty into law New York move may augur shift in other states

NEW YORK -- Gov. George Pataki signed the death penalty into law yesterday, breaking a string of 17 consecutive vetoes by Democratic governors in New York and perhaps foreshadowing shifts among the remaining 12 states, including Massachusetts, that still reject capital punishment.

Pataki, a Republican who used the death penalty as a potent symbol during his campaign last year against former Gov. Mario M. Cuomo, used two pens taken from murder victims to sign the bill while jubilant legislators predicted that the law would have ripple effects throughout the nation.

"This may be a more significant day than any of us realize," said Sen. Dale M. Volker, a Republican from Buffalo and a former ...

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