Democrats in the New York Legislature are seeking to flex their new-found muscle to abolish the death penalty from state law more than a decade after a decision by the Court of Appeals ruled capital punishment unconstitutional as a sentence in state courts.

State Sens. Brad Hoylman and Brian Kavanagh, both Democrats from Manhattan, introduced legislation on Thursday that would remove all references of a death penalty sentence from state law, which still includes language that would allow capital punishment should a future high court hand down a different decision.

“We think it's an important statement, notwithstanding the fact that the death penalty is illegal according to the Court of Appeals decision, of New York's values about criminal justice and I think it is a guiding principle about how we address those issues,” Hoylman said.