D.C. votes to restore death penalty after 45 years of abolition

What it does

This bill restores capital punishment in Washington, D.C. by creating a new death penalty statute for eight categories of crimes: first-degree murder, murder of law enforcement officers, solicitation of murder, first-degree child sexual abuse, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and drug distribution to minors resulting in death. The bill establishes a two-stage sentencing process: prosecutors must file notice of intent to seek death before trial, and if the defendant is convicted, a separate hearing determines whether aggravating factors (such as prior violence, heinous conduct, or victim vulnerability) outweigh mitigating factors (such as mental illness or minor participation). The default method of execution is electrocution, with the condemned person allowed to elect lethal injection, firing squad, lethal gas, or nitrogen hypoxia up to 14 days before execution.

Why we flagged it

The bill's sole operative purpose is to reinstate and codify capital punishment in D.C. after decades of abolition. It is a straightforward criminal-law expansion, not a hidden rider or deceptive measure—the title and text align directly.

What the text implies

• Electrocution as the default execution method carries documented risks of severe pain, disfigurement, and malfunction; the bill does not require testing or validation of the method before use.
• The bill does not address or study documented racial and socioeconomic disparities in capital sentencing; D.C.'s criminal justice system may inherit or amplify these disparities under the new statute.
• Expansion of capital crimes to include drug distribution to minors (if death results) and terrorism creates broader eligibility for death sentences than many state statutes; the interaction with D.C.'s existing sentencing practices is untested.
• The bill requires the U.S. Attorney for D.C. to hold death-sentenced inmates pending appeal exhaustion, creating a new federal custody role and potential conflicts with D.C. Department of Corrections authority.
• Conforming amendments to 18 USC § 3599 and 28 USC § 2267 extend federal capital-case procedures and habeas corpus rules to D.C., potentially creating jurisdictional complexity in appeals and stays of execution.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill expands state power to impose the ultimate irreversible punishment on citizens, with no corresponding expansion of procedural protections beyond what federal law already requires. While the bill includes mitigating-factor consideration and appellate review, it lowers the bar for execution eligibility (e.g., drug distribution to minors resulting in death, terrorism) and creates execution methods (electrocution as default) that carry documented risks of severe pain and malfunction. Citize

Named in the bill

District of Columbia, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, D.C. Department of Corrections, D.C. Court of Appeals, 18 USC Chapter 228, 28 USC Chapter 154

Where it stands

• Aug 13, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Aug 13, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary and House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on the…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.