According to a release, Coleman is adding his name to a 16-state push to speed up the process in often lengthy death penalty litigation. The states are in favor of a U.S. Department of Justice proposal meant to streamline federal review of state capital murder convictions.
Data in the release suggest the average time spent on death row nationally is more than 20 years.
In signing on, Coleman pointed to the case of Vincent Stopher, who was sentenced to death in 1998 for the murder of a Jefferson County sheriff's deputy. The case has been pending in federal court since 2008 with a submission for a ruling completed in January 2025.
Coleman has also been in court arguing that a 16-year-old injunction halting executions in Kentucky should be lifted.
"The cost is that people in this commonwealth question the rule of law, question when decades later with an admission of guilt... why the jury's decision can't be effectuated," he said, referring to the case of Ralph Baze, who was convicted of murdering a Powell County sheriff and deputy in 1992.
Gov. Andy Beshear's office has said the 2010 Fayette Circuit Court ruling continues to forbid any more executions until a final judgment is made.
Kentucky hasn't carried out an execution since 2008 when its lethal injection practices came under scrutiny.