This article is an analysis of capital judicial override in Alabama through localist theories of capital punishment, with special focus on Liebman and Clarke’s arguments about parochialism and libertarianism. We suggest that localism is related to high rates of death sentencing in one county even when the sentencing agent is a judge, not a jury. We begin with a review of Liebman and Clarke’s analysis, then proceed with a description of the law on override in Alabama, and conclude with a qualitative content analysis of sentencing opinions from Jefferson County, Alabama (which has the highest number of overrides to death). After finding evidence of parochialism and libertarianism in all of the sentencing opinions, we suggest that localism may be related to high death sentencing in Jefferson County and urge scholars to study this phenomenon in other high death penalty active counties.
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