Who ever mentioned summary executions?
I don't think you understand how the death penalty works here. Here's the Layman's breakdown:
- A crime must be designated as a death penalty crime. These are limited to the most egregious of crimes - aggravated and capitol murder are chief among them.
- A trial is conducted to determine guilt or innocence.
- On a guilty verdict, dependent on state, either the jury votes or the judge determines if the criteria and evidence in the trial meet the requirements for the death penalty to be applied.
- IF the requirements have all been met, it moves to sentencing.
- Depending on jurisdiction, the judge determines or jury votes on whether to apply the death penalty.
- IF the death penalty is applied, the prisoner is remanded to death row and awaits execution: the appeals process begins.
- The first appeal will be to the same court that determined the case.
- If that appeal is over ruled, it will then move to the state court of appeals.
- The state court of appeals will review the case in its entirety.
- If the state court of appeals upholds the conviction and sentence, then the appeal moves on to the federal court of appeals (whichever circuit applies depending on local).
- The federal circuit court of appeals with review the case and sentence.
- If the federal circuit court of appeals upholds the conviction and sentence, there is only one court left to appeal to: The United States Supreme Court.
- The odds of the U.S. Supreme Court reviewing a death penalty case are about zero UNLESS their is CLEAR EVIDENCE OF WRONG DOING IN THE CASE SOMEWHERE.
- There is only one avenue left: appeal to the governor of the state for clemency.
So, as you can see, it's about as far removed from "summary execution" as you can get. The process takes YEARS, sometimes DECADES to complete.
In fact, most of those sentenced to death die of old age long before they are ever executed.
The man that killed my childhood friend was on death row for 23 years before he died of colon cancer before they could execute him.