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BY NICOLE THOMPSON

ANCHOR JIM FLINK

You're watching multisource news analysis from Newsy.

The Supreme Court has blocked the execution of a Texas convict again.

This is the second time in less than a week that the Court intervened in a death row case in the Lonestar State. Austin’s KXAN has the story.

“Three hours ago the high court blocked the execution of former army recruiter Cleve Foster. He was condemned to die for the rape and killing of a Fort Worth woman almost 10 years ago. His lawyers argue that he’s innocent and had deficient legal help during his trial.”

It’s the third time the Court halted this particular execution this year. With the execution of Troy Davis in Atlanta running headlines as well, commentators at CNN are asking the question, is it time to rethink the death penalty?

“But, Davis’s case aside, American juries seem increasingly reluctant to put any inmate to death. Since the 1990s, the number of executions in America has significantly declined. 98 executions in 1999, to just 46 last year. That decline seems at odds with the strong feelings many Americans still have about the death penalty.”

Those strong feelings in support of capital punishment are embodied by Texas governor and GOP presidential frontrunner Rick Perry. He spoke in support of his state’s high executions numbers during a recent Republican debate, and the crowd responded with applause.

“Your state has executed 234 death row inmates, more than any other governor in modern times. Have you struggled to sleep at night with the idea that any one of those might have been innocent?”
“No sir, I’ve never struggled with that at all. I think Americans understand justice.” (CNN)

That record is now up to 235 executions. MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow says Perry’s aggressive stance on capital punishment could help him win the GOP presidential nomination in 2012.

“Governor Perry of course is very proud of that record. Conventional political wisdom says that killing prisoners, even ones whose guilt is being vigorously challenged, killing prisoners is a thumbs up from the voters that Republicans count on to give them something like the Republican nomination for president.”

Still, recent coverage of executions has piqued concern in others. A blogger from human rights group Care2 writes...

“The Supreme Court must have serious concerns about the capital punishment system in Texas... The similarities and differences between the Davis case and the Foster case are shocking only in that they underscore the inhumane randomness of our capital system. And when it is the government pulling the switch as executioner, are we really comfortable with that system being so clearly arbitrary and flawed?”

Despite criticism, the end of capital punishment is nowhere in sight for Texas. Politico’s Juana Summers writes...

“Four more men are scheduled to be executed in Texas this year, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and the state has already begun to schedule executions into the early months of 2012.”

Transcript by Newsy.