2.__Excessive or disproportionate sentence.__With regard to the review of the sentence, the Supreme Judicial Court shall determine whether the sentence is excessive or disproportionate to the sentence imposed in similar cases, if any, considering both the crime and the defendant.__If the Supreme Judicial Court finds the sentence excessive or disproportionate to the sentence imposed in similar cases, the court may, in addition to any of its other powers, set aside the sentence and remand the case to the trial court for the imposition of a sentence of life imprisonment.

3.__Direct appeal.__The sentence review and the direct appeal, if any, have priority over other cases and must be heard in accordance with any rules that the Supreme Judicial Court may prescribe to implement this section.__A sentence of death may not be executed unless the sentence is reviewed and affirmed in accordance with this section.

Sec. 7. 17-A MRSA §201, sub-§2, as repealed and replaced by PL 1977, c. 510, §38, is amended to read:

2. The sentence for murder shall be is as authorized in chapter 51 52-A.

Sec. 8. 17-A MRSA §1251, as repealed and replaced by PL 1983, c. 673, §3, is repealed.

Sec. 9. 17-A MRSA §1252-B, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 433, §1, is amended to read:

2. For persons who commit crimes on or after October 1, 1995, section 1253, subsection 8 substantially reduces the statutory deductions available under subsections 3 and 3-B for good time and under subsections 4 and 5 for meritorious good time. The change is intended to ensure that the term of imprisonment imposed closely approximates what will in fact be served and to abandon administrative awards that have seriously imperiled the State's statutory scheme relative to authorized terms of imprisonment for murder under section 1251 1271 and for crimes other than murder under section 1252, subsection 2. At