Exclusive: Rep. Nancy Mace Moves to Bring Back D.C.’s Death Penalty

A bill to bring the death penalty back to Washington, DC for the first time in over four decades has been introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who told Breitbart News there should be “no second chances” for people who are convicted of the most heinous crimes.

The proposed legislation, called the Restoring the Death Penalty in D.C. Act, lists first-degree murder, murder of a law enforcement officer or public safety employee, first-degree child sexual abuse, and acts of terrorism amongst the offenses that should make someone eligible for capital punishment. 

The death penalty could also be considered for those convicted of distributing controlled substances to minors resulting in the death of a minor.

Mace’s bill comes after President Donald Trump’s September 2025 presidential memorandum to restore capital punishment in the nation’s capital, though the district’s death penalty was nul­li­fied in 1972 by the Supreme Court before being repealed by the D.C. Council in 1981. 

Washingtonians then vot­ed 2 – 1 against the death penal­ty in a 1992 ref­er­en­dum ordered by the U.S. Congress. In 1997, the D.C. Council’s Judiciary Committee shot down a bill pro­posed by then-Mayor Marion Barry to allow cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment for the mur­der of pub­lic safe­ty employ­ees.

If passed, the legislation would set procedures in place for determining when a sentence of death, carried out by electrocution, is justified. Death row members could also opt for lethal injection, firing squad, lethal gas, or nitrogen hypoxia instead. 

“Our nation’s capital will not be a safe haven for the most violent criminals in America,” Mace told Breitbart News. “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.”

“We are sending a clear message: the era of coddling violent criminals is over,” the South Carolina congresswoman added. “If you murder a law enforcement officer or commit the most horrific crimes against a child, you should face the ultimate consequence. No excuses. No second chances.”

Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.