politics
Nancy Mace Introduces Bill to Restore Death Penalty in DC
The death penalty may fully return to Washington, D.C., if a bill introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) on Thursday becomes law.
TL;DR
- Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) introduced a bill to fully reinstate the death penalty in Washington, D.C.
- The bill targets 'most heinous crimes' such as first-degree murder, terrorism, murder of law enforcement, first-degree child sexual abuse, and drug distribution resulting in death.
- The death penalty was abolished in D.C. in 1980 and a 1992 referendum to restore it was unsuccessful.
- The last execution in D.C. was in 1957.
- The bill would specify procedures for capital cases, including aggravating and mitigating factors and separate sentencing hearings.
- Execution methods would include electrocution (default), lethal injection, firing squad, lethal gas, or nitrogen hypoxia.
- A presidential memorandum in September 2025 partially reinstated the death penalty for federal crimes in D.C., but Mace's bill aims for a more permanent change.