......Why do American judges and appeals court still insist on dragging their feet on capital punishment?......
Because it is their own self interest. They get paid to drag out the process.
The death penalty appeals process is lawyer welfare.
Yup! The death penalty will guarantee at least several years of appeals, more appeals, and yet more appeals! All of it paid by the taxpayers for the lawyers to do this according to the "laws" to make certain there is no "hanky-panky" in the process!
And the poor prisoner gets to eat, sleep, and watch TVs (probably on Time Warner Cable), cigarettes, etc. We must not violate the "rights" they have.
Jeez!