• Source:JND
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US President Donald Trump has announced plans to seek the death penalty for suspected murderers in Washington, DC, calling it a “preventative” measure aimed at deterring violent crime. Speaking during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump stated, “Anybody who murders something in the capital, capital punishment. Capital, capital punishment. If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, DC, we’re going to be seeking the death penalty.” He emphasised that capital punishment would serve as a “very strong preventative” measure, adding that “everybody that’s heard it agrees with it.”

Controversy And Federal Authority

Trump acknowledged that the move would likely be controversial. “I don’t know if we’re ready for it in this country, but we have no choice,” he said. “States are gonna have to make their own decision,” though in the nation’s capital, prosecutors under the Department of Justice would pursue the death penalty.

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The announcement follows heightened security measures in Washington, with hundreds of National Guard members and federal law enforcement officers deployed to combat what Trump has previously described as “complete and total lawlessness.” The president has suggested that similar strategies could be applied to other cities, including Chicago.

Legal Status Of Death Penalty In DC

Washington, DC, formally abolished the death penalty in 1981. The capital city has a special legal status, existing under a federal relationship that curtails local self-determination and makes Congress function as the overseer of vast aspects of local affairs. In this system, the US Attorney's Office, a part of the Department of Justice, prosecutes almost all violent crimes in D.C. This allows the federal government to impose capital punishment in the district even though it is prohibited locally.

Trump's January executive order positioned capital punishment as "an indispensable tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most egregious crimes and acts of deadly violence against American civilians." The order observes that America has traditionally used the death penalty as the "ultimate deterrent" for the most serious crimes.

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In US, most executions take place at the state level, with 27 states, the military, and the federal government maintaining capital punishment as a viable legal option. Under former President Joe Biden, the Justice Department had put a moratorium on federal executions, suspending capital punishment while examining its policies.