SB32 Summary

• Amends Alabama Code Sections 13A-5-45, 13A-5-46, and 13A-5-47 to prohibit courts from overriding jury verdicts in capital cases.

• Changes jury verdicts from "advisory" to binding verdicts in capital sentencing; where jury returns a death verdict, the court shall sentence the defendant to death, and where no death verdict is returned, the court shall impose life imprisonment without parole.

• Requires the jury's recommendation to be given consideration but makes it binding on the court rather than advisory, eliminating judicial override authority.

• Maintains existing procedures for sentence hearings, evidence presentation, aggravating and mitigating circumstances, and jury composition in capital cases.

• Becomes effective immediately upon passage and gubernatorial approval or upon otherwise becoming law.