According to a release from Governor Fletcher’s office, a death warrant for Ralph Baze, Jr. will be signed tomorrow. Attorney General Greg Stumbo requested an execution date of September 18 exactly a week ago.

Baze was convicted of the 1992 murders of Powell County Sheriff Steve Bennett and Dep. Arthur Briscoe.

Excerpt from the release:

These decisions are among the most important any Governor makes. Governor Fletcher undertakes this duty with the utmost care and attention. Justice demands a judicial process that affords the accused a fair and impartial hearing. Baze received that. Justice likewise requires imposition of the penalty commensurate with the offense. Here, a jury found that Baze planned and murdered a sheriff and a sheriff’s deputy. Imposition of the death penalty is therefore appropriate.

Interestingly, there’s a federal civil suit pending naming Ernie Fletcher as a defendant. The suit challenges the constitutionality of Kentucky’s lethal injection protocol.

We doubt politics (on either side) played a role in a matter this serious. But. We find ourselves wondering if there are political consequences for Fletcher or Stumbo. What do you think?