Chopper Bob Ehrlich isn't going to let a little prosecutorial bias get in the way of a popular state program like the death penalty. A University of Maryland report finds that Maryland prosecutors are more likely to seek the death penalty in cases where the alleged killer is black and the victim is white. Specifically, the report determined that "[b]lack offenders who kill blacks are significantly less likely to face the death penalty, while black offenders who kill whites are significantly more likely to face a death sentence than all other racial combinations."

The newly elected Republican Governor of Maryland nevertheless still intends to lift the moratorium on executions imposed by his predecessor. "I firmly believe that in some cases the ultimate sanction is appropriate, regardless of race," Mr. Ehrlich said yesterday.

Ehrlich's spokesperson, Shareese N. DeLeaver, used a more ... uh ... colorful metaphor on the question of racial bias: "Any kinks in the criminal justice system will be ironed out by the Ehrlich administration."

A summary of the UM report, as well as .pdf copies of the full report, here.