In June 2004, the state 's highest court ruled in People v. LaValle that the state 's death penalty statute violated the state constitution, and New York has had an effective moratorium on capital punishment since then. Subsequent legislative attempts at fixing or replacing the statute have failed, and in 2008 then - Governor David Paterson issued an executive order disestablishing New York 's death row. Legislative efforts to amend the statute have failed, and death sentences are no longer sought at the state level, though certain crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government are subject to the federal death penalty.
when did new york end the death penalty
June 2004