Trump calls for death penalty for murderers in Washington: A change in the justice system?

Trump calls for death penalty for murderers in Washington: A change in the justice system?

In a surprise announcement today, US President Donald Trump made moves to reinstate the death penalty for murder cases in Washington D.C. presented. He described this decision as a “very strong preventive measure” to combat crime in the city. The move comes in a context that is both troubling and alarming: Washington has suspended the death penalty since 1981, after the city government abolished it. According to nordkurier.de, no one has been executed in the city since 1957.

Trump's statement is part of a broader plan to tighten the security situation in the capital. The president had already activated the National Guard a few weeks ago and expanded control over local police at the federal level. But those moves have been accompanied by legal pushback as critics question Trump's authoritarian governing style. Despite the mixed reaction among the population, a slim majority supports the death penalty, even as concerns about miscarriages of justice and discrimination are growing, various surveys show.

The legal background

In the United States, the death penalty is legal at the federal level, in the military, and in 27 states. However, it is not enforced everywhere. According to reports from t-online.de, the federal government would have the authority to charge suspects at the federal level, making Trump's announcement particularly explosive. During Trump's last term in office, 13 executions were carried out, more than under any other US president in decades.

The background to these measures is reinforced by the Washington State Supreme Court's decision to declare the death penalty unconstitutional. This happened because the application was classified as arbitrary and racially discriminatory, as amnesty.de reports. Washington is the 20th state in the USA to have abolished the death penalty. These legal developments cast a long shadow over Trump's plans.

The reactions to Trump's announcement

Opinions about Trump's plans are divided. While his supporters welcome the measures as a necessary step, critics warn of a possible increase in violence and crime such policies. The president himself sees Washington as afflicted by violence and crime, while police statistics show a nuanced reality.

Amnesty International has opposed the death penalty in principle, and the organization sees recent developments in Washington as a positive sign for the abolition of the death penalty overall. According to Amnesty's Kristina Roth, the court's decision was seen as a step in the right direction to end the use of the death penalty and address legal injustices.

As the debate over the death penalty continues in the US, it remains to be seen how the situation will develop in Washington and what further legal challenges Trump may face.