The death penalty has been paused in North Carolina since 2006, due in part to legal challenges against the practice. But she said she also deeply opposes its efforts to bring back the death penalty. Death penalty debateStein supported the death penalty as attorney general, and his office argued many appeals on behalf of the state to keep convicted killers on death row. “There are some folks who are out there, perfectly fine with us having the death penalty on the books, but not having a death penalty that actually gets implemented,” Berger said. Spokespeople for Stein haven’t responded to requests for comment on the new death penalty provision.