Jennifer Siccardi (left), a receptionist at Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ office, accepts a letter to the governor from a wide range of faith leaders, including (from left) Father Phillip Reaves of the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock, Rev. Jacqui Bushor of Faith Lutheran Church in Little Rock, Methodist pastor Rev. Hammett Evans and Little Rock Second Baptist Church pastor Preston Clegg. The faith leaders spoke against the death penalty and Arkansas’ law allowing executions by nitrogen hypoxia at a press conference on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. (Photo by Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate)
This story was updated Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, to include a statement from the Arkansas governor’s office.
Arkansas faith leaders petitioned Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday not to restart executions in the state in light of a new law allowing the use of nitrogen gas suffocation for the death penalty…