The article reports that President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing top prosecutors to seek the death penalty “in all appropriate cases” for murders committed in Washington, D.C. This move follows an earlier directive to broadly restore the death penalty.Despite D.C. having repealed capital punishment in 1981, Trump’s order instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to pursue federal jurisdiction for eligible death penalty cases in the capital.<\/p>\n

Trump emphasized the seriousness of the punishment, notably for killing law enforcement officers, as part of his broader crime emergency efforts in the city. The order comes after Trump federalized the Metropolitan Police Department due to a surge in violent crime<\/a>, an emergency measure that has as expired but left National Guard members patrolling the streets.<\/p>\n

A White House statement framed the order as a measure to protect residents and visitors by ensuring violent criminals face severe consequences<\/a>.However,the initiative has faced criticism from groups like the libertarian Cato Institute,which argued that the death penalty is unpopular in D.C. and warned against what they see as federal overreach and harsh policing tactics in the district. The article also noted that the last execution in D.C. occurred in 1957.

\n<\/p>\n