Dear AUUF,
Jeffery Lee is scheduled to be executed this Thursday. As Unitarian Universalists, our commitment to human dignity and mutual interconnectivity means that an injustice to one is an injustice to all.
Governor Ivey signed the bill that ended judicial override in Alabama in 2017, sending a clear message that sentencing belongs to juries, not judges. Refusing to apply that change retroactively means she is seemingly having it both ways. Still, as incensed as we are by this contradiction, she holds the sole power to intervene and save Jeffery’s life.
Even for those who support capital punishment, execution based on an illegal, abandoned practice is an unacceptable abuse of power. Government-sanctioned killing is inherently flawed, especially given how frequently state errors impact disenfranchised individuals.
Following last month’s visit from Christine Freeman Executive Director of The Alabama Post-Conviction Relief Project (APCRP), we connected with key members of Mr. Lee’s team of advocates. After we shared a photo of our Fellowship with his sign out front, he replied with personal statement connecting us directly to his journey (see attached). While our congregation has already sent nearly 40 postcards to Governor Ivey, the lack of response means we must escalate our efforts now.
Take Action Today
- Call Governor Ivey at (334) 242-7100
Tell her there is no Alabama justice without Alabama juries. Urge her to halt the execution of Jeffery Lee and grant clemency to the 25 individuals sentenced via judicial override.
- Sign & Share the Petition
Sign the petition urging Governor Ivey to respect jury decisions, and share it widely across your networks.https://actionnetwork.org/…/gov-ivey-please-respect-the…
- Support September’s Giving on the Plate
Our monthly plate supports the Alabama Post-Conviction Relief Project (https://www.alapcrp.org/) in honor of Jeffery Lee and those fighting judicial override.
- Donate: https://auuf.org/community/donate/
- Note: Please write “Plate” in the memo line.
Featured in The New York Times
Jeffery Lee’s case was highlighted in The New York Times yesterday:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/12/us/alabama-execution-jeffrey-lee.html (Free NYT account required; no paid subscription needed)
- The Reality of Override: At its peak, nearly 1 in 5 people on Alabama’s death row were sent there by a judge overriding a jury’s decision.
- The Legal Contradiction: As a Republican former Chief Justice of Alabama’s Supreme Court stated: when a state abolishes a sentencing practice as unjust, it must reckon with the sentences that practice produced.
Please call, sign, donate, and share today.
#LifeForJefferyLee #AlabamaJustice #EndJudicialOverride #ClemencyNow
Thank you for the support!
Patience, Social Action Chair
