By The Washington Times (Politics) | Created at 2026-08-14 17:46:05 | Updated at 2026-08-14 18:47:31
2 hours ago
Rep. Nancy Mace wants to bring capital punishment back to the nation’s capital, 45 years after it was officially abolished in Washington.
The Restoring the Death Penalty in DC Act would bring the punishment back for the “most heinous crimes,” which Ms. Mace, South Carolina Republican, said includes first-degree murder, terrorism, the murder of law enforcement officers and public safety employees, child sexual abuse, and distributing controlled substances to minors if it results in the minor’s death.
The legislation would also apply to certain cases involving the obstruction or displacement of railroads, solicitation of murder, and weapons of mass destruction.
“Enough is enough. Our nation’s capital should never be a place where the worst crimes imaginable come with anything less than the harshest consequence the law allows,” Ms. Mace said in a Thursday statement. “Restoring law and order starts with real punishments.”
However, a death sentence would not be automatic.
If the bill is enacted, courts would have procedures for determining whether aggravating and mitigating factors justify the death penalty. It would also require a separate sentencing hearing when the federal government seeks the death penalty.
If a death sentence is imposed, the default execution method would be electrocution, with the alternative options of lethal injection, firing squad, lethal gas or nitrogen hypoxia.
“Our nation’s capital will not be a safe haven for the most violent criminals in America,” Ms. Mace said. “Criminals need to know there are consequences for their actions. Some crimes are so evil they deserve the ultimate punishment. It’s time to put the death penalty back on the table and stop giving the worst criminals a second chance to hurt innocent Americans.”
D.C. city officials passed a law abolishing the death penalty in 1980, effective in 1981, and since capital punishment has been off the table, “criminals have not paid the real price of justice,” Ms. Mace said.
In 1992, the city’s residents voted on a referendum that would have restored it, which failed.
Ms. Mace has repeatedly pushed for tougher-on-crime approaches, having introduced federal legislation targeting certain sexual crimes against children with the death penalty.
Her proposal also follows President Trump’s memorandum directing the attorney general and the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia to fully enforce federal capital punishment laws for eligible crimes in Washington, aiming to deter violent crime and punish severe offenses.
