The Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act would ban the federal government from imposing or carrying out death sentences for any federal crime. The bill would apply to anyone sentenced to death after the law takes effect and would also require those already on federal death row to be resentenced, presumably to life imprisonment or another penalty. The legislation has no specified funding requirements or implementation timeline beyond the effective date upon enactment. The bill affects federal criminal defendants and the federal justice system, as it does not restrict state death penalty laws. The measure was introduced by Senator Dick Durbin and eighteen other Democratic senators in May 2026.
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