“We don’t do legislation in New Mexico by referendum,” Richardson, a Democrat, said during a mid-day news conference at the Capitol today. “The New Mexico public wants us to repeal the death penalty.”

White, a Republican, has said he is looking into the possibility of petitioning to put the repeal of New Mexico’s death penalty before the voters. It would be a form of a “reverse referendum” after Richardson signed a law that replaces lethal injection with life in prison without possibility of parole. The new law will apply to crimes committed as of July 1.

Also in the New Mexican comes the report that the Santa Fe Opera won’t be getting a rehearsal hall built with state funds after all. The controversial legislation that caused an uproar won’t reach the state Senate by Saturday at noon, when the Legislature adjourns.

Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White wants the state to repeal the repeal of the death penalty, which Gov. Bill Richardson signed into law Wednesday. The Associated Press reports that White “is looking into the possibility of petitioning to put the repeal of New Mexico’s death penalty before the voters.” The new law will apply to crimes committed as of July 1.

Meanwhile, the Albuquerque Journal reports, an anti-death penalty group in Italy has invited Richardson to a ceremony in which members will light the Colosseum in Rome to celebrate New Mexico’s repeal of the death penalty.

For those of you who don’t subscribe to the Journal, here’s an excerpt:

The Community of Sant’Egidio — a leader in the international movement against the death penalty — has requested Richardson’s presence for the ceremony at the ancient Roman icon to celebrate “the great step New Mexico is undertaking, in the initiative of its legislators and with your leadership,” according to the letter from Sant’Egidio spokesman Mario Marazziti.

“A special ceremony in front of the world, will make your courage a special page of history to inspire others,” he says.

Richardson, a Democrat, signed House Bill 285 on Wednesday, which abolished the death penalty, making New Mexico the 15th state without capital punishment and the second state to ban executions since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the penalty in 1976.

New Jersey did so in 2007, and a Colosseum lighting ceremony was held then, too. The Colosseum, built in A.D. 80, was once the home of death and carnage, where gladiators fought to kill, public executions took place and many early Christians were slain. In the 18th century, Pope Benedict XIV declared it sanctified.

SANTA FE — Tonight, Gov. Bill Richardson signed his name to a law that abolishes the death penalty in New Mexico, saying, “This has been the most difficult decision of my political career.”

With his signature, Richardson made the Land of Enchantment the 15^th U.S. state to ban capital punishment and pushed it into the worldwide community of states and nations that have abolished the death penalty, including many countries in the European Union.

“I do not have confidence in the criminal justice system as it currently operates to be the final arbiter when it comes to who lives and who dies for their crime,” Richardson said. “If the State is going to undertake this awesome responsibility, the system to impose this ultimate penalty must be perfect and can never be wrong.”

The news excited supporters who had been pushing for the repeal.

“This is a great day for New Mexico” said Juan Melendez, who spent 18 years on Florida’s death row before being exonerated of a murder he didn’t commit. Melendez, who lobbied lawmakers this year, lives in New Mexico now. In his case, the real killer confessed, making him the 99th person exonerated across the nation, he said.

Richardson’s decision, Melendez said, can help teach “the children that killing is wrong.”

He also said that New Mexico’s example will serve as inspiration for other Western states that are looking at repealing the death penalty, including Colorado.

“Gov. Richardson’s courageous and enlightened decision should send a powerful message to other states, governors and Americans about the need to take a hard look at our error-prone, discriminatory and bankrupting system of capital punishment,” John Holdridge, director of the ACLU Capital Punishment Project, said in a release.

“It is a system incapable of ensuring that innocent lives are not unjustly taken. It is a system plagued by racial, economic and geographic discrimination. And it is a system that police chiefs, criminologists and statistical experts around the country agree does not deter crime. Gov. Richardson deserves enormous credit for acting in the best interests of the people of his state and the people of this country,” the release continued.

The law also creates a sentence of life without parole to replace the death penalty for the most heinous crimes.

The governor’s decision came after New Mexicans by the thousands called, e-mailed and visited with him over the weekend after the Senate passed HB285 by a vote of 24-18 on Friday.

Of more than 11,760 calls, e-mails and walk-ins on legislation, 8,718 were for repeal compared to 3,046 against, the governor’s office said Wednesday afternoon.

Among those urging Richardson to sign the bill was Lt. Gov. Diane Denish.

“I support replacing the death penalty with a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole,” Denish said in a news release Wednesday. “If you’ve committed murder, you will be behind bars the rest of your life, no exceptions. I will continue working with our police officers and prosecutors and with victims’ families to make sure justice is served.”

The lead up to Richardson’s decision attracted attention across the country as well as beyond its borders.

Viki Elkey of the New Mexico Coalition to Repeal the Death Penalty said Wednesday she had conducted more than 50 media interviews in recent days. And most of the reporters she spoke to hailed from European countries.

The respected British magazine, The Economist, exemplified the interest European countries have in the death penalty. The magazine had a story about the U.S. considering the abolishment of the death penalty, including New Mexico.

New Mexico’s repeal is part of a larger national trend, partly because of the number of death row inmates who have been exonerated in recent years, according to supporters.

About 130 people in 26 states have been exonerated since the early 1970s, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. That number includes four people from New Mexico.

Another factor driving other states to consider abolishing the death penalty is the cost of prosecuting capital murder. Appeals over a several-year period often drive up the costs, say death penalty opponents. The dollars-and-cents argument comes at a time when the economy is in a shambles and many states are struggling to balance their budgets, including New Mexico.

New Mexico has executed one prisoner since 1976 — Terry Clark in 2001.

Opponents have argued unsuccessfully that abolishing the death penalty would remove a deterrent to heinous crimes. They also said a repeal would amount to a rollback of thousands of years of practice and would put police and correctional officers in harm’s way. Richardson acknowledged them in his announcement, saying, “Yes, the death penalty is a tool for law enforcement. But it’s not the only tool. For some would-be criminals, the death penalty may be a deterrent. But it’s not, and never will be, for many, many others.”

Opponents also have recalled crimes striking in their horror, including Terry Clark’s rape and murder of Dena Lynn Gore, a little girl he killed.

New Mexico has executed one prisoner since 1976 — Terry Clark in 2001.

Other U.S. states considering whether to abolish the death penalty include Utah and Colorado, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

There was no word on how he had decided.

New Mexicans have weighed in on the issue. Of more than 9,400 calls, e-mails and walk-in visits that Richardson has received on the issue, 7,169 were for repeal, compared to 2,244 against, the governor’s office said earlier this week.

Wednesday, Lt. Gov. Diane Denish urged Richardson to sign the legislation.

“I support replacing the death penalty with a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole,” Denish said in a news release. “If you’ve committed murder, you will be behind bars the rest of your life, no exceptions. I will continue working with our police officers and prosecutors and with victims’ families to make sure justice is served.”

Of 9,413 constituents who voiced their opinion on HB 285, 7,169 were for repeal compared to 2,244 against, a news release from the governor’s office said.

Richardson has until midnight Wednesday to decide whether to sign or veto the legislation.

Richardson asked the public to weigh in on whether he should sign the legislation after the New Mexico Senate voted 24-18 to end capital punishment after hours of wide-ranging debate on Friday.

If Richardson signs the bill, New Mexico would join 14 other states in abolishing the death penalty (pdf).

Gov. Bill Richardson by late Monday had received more than 6,000 e-mails and phone calls from people who gave their opinion on the matter.

And more than a few people who showed up at the Governor’s Office for five minutes each also put in their two cents worth.

“The most popular issue brought up this afternoon was the repeal of the death penalty; more than 40 groups and individuals met today with the governor to voice their opinion on HB 285,” according to a news release from the Governor’s Office.

Richardson asked the public to weigh in on whether he should sign the legislation after the New Mexico Senate voted 24-18 to repeal the death penalty after hours of  wide-ranging debate on Friday.

If Richardson signs the bill, New Mexico would join 14 other states in abolishing the death penalty (pdf).

The governor has until midnight on Wednesday to take action on the bill.

It is unclear whether supporters have the votes to push the repeal through the Senate. It’s that close, supporters say. Meanwhile, Richardson said earlier this week that he has not made up his mind whether he will sign the legislation or not.

NMI is live blogging the debate here.