On Tuesday, Feb. 11, Washington governor Jay Inslee announced that he would suspend the death penalty for the duration of his term. Washington will execute none of its nine death row inmates until Inslee leaves office. It’s a good indicator of Inslee’s opinion on the topic and hopefully a predictor of things to come.

1,267 The number of government-sanctioned executions in the United States since 1976. 2.3 million The average cost of a death penalty case in Texas. 5 Number of executions in Washington...