編按：羅德島州州長拒絕將囚犯交給聯邦政府。被告在羅德島州已判無期徒刑，但是聯邦政府也想提告。囚犯如果被聯邦政府審判的話，有判死刑的危險。羅德島州很早已經廢除死刑了，現在拒絕聯邦政府的訴求，變成全美國第一次發生州政府拒絕將囚犯交給聯邦檢察官的狀況。以下是紐約時報社論。
December 29, 2011｜The New York Times
Gov. Chafee Declines
Gov. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island took a principled position when he refused an order from a federal court to transfer a prisoner to federal custody for prosecution because that would expose the prisoner to the death penalty. As Mr. Chafee said in a statement, that is “a penalty consciously rejected by the State of Rhode Island, even for those guilty of the most heinous crimes.”
