Trump signs executive order to reinstate the death penalty in Washington DC
Trump ordered the Department of Justice to implement the death penalty, reversing more than four decades of abolition of this punishment in the nation's capital
44 years after it was abolished in Washington DC, Donald Trump ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the death penalty in all cases that meet the "applicable factors," in another measure justified by the federal takeover of the capital due to the alleged "out of control crime" it is experiencing.
The The death penalty had been struck down in Washington by the Supreme Court in 1972 and formally abolished by the city council in 1981. In 1992, a local referendum confirmed the public's rejection of executions, with two-thirds of voters against them.
Despite this, the measure, announced from the Oval Office, instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi and the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, to seek the death penalty in all cases that warrant it, especially in serious crimes such as homicides and the killings of police officers. “If you kill somebody, if you kill a police officer, they get the death penalty,” Trump declared during the signing ceremony.
In other words, he will seek to prioritize this measure, which deserves special attention given the “threats to public safety” facing the city.
Using this same logic, Trump seized federal power over the capital’s metropolitan police force on August 11, deploying thousands of National Guard troops and agents from various federal agencies to carry out operations in Washington, D.C.
The United States capital has a unique legal status, as it is not a state and operates under a relationship with the federal government that limits its autonomy and grants Congress extraordinary control over local matters.
Despite this, the decision has generated controversy in a territory historically opposed to the death penalty and governed by Democratic local authorities. Although the memorandum does not specify which crimes will carry the maximum penalty, it does establish that prosecutors must request it in all cases where the evidence justifies it. However, doubts arise after the signing,Such a punishment would require legislative changes and could face legal barriers, since most homicides in Washington, DC, are prosecuted under local law, which does not provide for the death penalty.