Trump's Plan To Expand Federal Death Penalty Could Face Hurdles

President-elect Donald Trump wants to expand the federal death penalty during his second term, including making more individuals eligible for execution.

Trump would target those convicted of crimes such as child rape, drug trafficking, and the killing of law enforcement officers, calling these individuals as “terrible, horrible people” responsible for widespread harm, reported NBC News.

His stance has raised concerns among criminal justice reform advocates and anti-death penalty groups, who fear a revival of the controversial policies from his first term, which saw 13 federal executions, including the first woman executed in nearly 70 years, the report added.

While Trump’s exact plan remains unclear, legal experts warn of significant challenges.

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Expanding the death penalty to non-murder crimes, such as child rape, would likely require changes in federal law, as a 2008 Supreme Court ruling prohibits the execution of child rapists.

The process of ramping up federal executions also faces logistical hurdles, including securing the necessary lethal injection drugs and dealing with legal challenges that could delay any immediate action.

Despite these obstacles, advocates like Ruth Friedman of the Federal Capital Habeas Project fear that Trump could reinstate execution protocols quickly, potentially reversing Biden-era reforms, NBC News added.

With the Supreme Court’s conservative majority, legal experts suggest that efforts to reinstate and expand the death penalty could gain support, though bipartisan opposition from lawmakers remains a possibility.

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