A federal judge has ruled that Gov. Henry McMaster will retain his right to be the final judge of clemency for a death row inmate even though he once claimed to have no intention of doing so.
“The Court is confident… Governor McMaster will give full, thoughtful, and careful consideration to any clemency petition filed by Moore, giving both comprehensive and individualized attention to the unique circumstances of his case,” wrote U.S. District Court Judge Mary Geiger Lewis in a ruling issued Monday.
The ruling is a setback for Richard Moore, who sought to strip the power to grant clemency from McMaster . Attorneys for Moore instead asked that Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette review Moore’s clemency application…