Social Issues

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NAACP President Benjamin Jealous (right) speaks Tuesday in support of repealing Maryland’s death penalty. Though repeal is backed by Gov. Martin O’Malley, the legislation faces detractors who see capital punishment as a tool in the judicial process. (Associated Press)

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Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (center), speaking at a rally Tuesday in Annapolis in support of repealing the state’s death penalty, said, “I don’t fear the judgment of the people of Maryland,” when asked about the possibility of a referendum. He said he would throw his support behind legislation to end capital punishment this year. He backed two earlier unsuccessful attempts during his first term as governor. (Associated Press)

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Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney wrote to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in November to declare the state’s intention to set up a state-run exchange under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. (Associated Press)

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New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says the idea for fitting fake pill bottles with GPS devices was prompted by high-profile crimes associated with the thriving black market for oxycodone and other prescription drugs. (Associated Press)

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While medicine and humanitarian supplies are not blocked by the economic embargoes on Iran, the pressures are clearly evident in nearly every aspect of health care with shortages at pharmacies and long lines at hospitals. (Associated Press)

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"I think the message out there is clear after [the Newton, Conn., school shootings] and to get us down this road as quickly as possible to basically eradicate assault weapons from our streets in New York as quickly as possible is something the people of our state want," said New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** Rep. Steve Stockman (second from right), Texas Republican, participates in a mock swearing-in ceremony with Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner, Ohio Republican, for the 113th Congress in Washington on Jan. 3, 2013. (Associated Press)

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** FILE ** Internet activist Aaron Swartz poses for a photo in Miami Beach, Fla., in 2009. He was found dead on Friday, Jan. 11, in his apartment in the Brooklyn borough of New York. On Saturday, Jan. 26, the hacker group Anonymous attacked a Justice Department website, claiming that an unjustified investigation by the federal government prompted him to commit suicide. (AP Photo/The New York Times, Michael Francis McElroy)