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Congress·In Committee·S. 4608

Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act

Sen. Durbin and Senate Democrats Introduce Bill to Abolish the Federal Death Penalty

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee for review. No further actions are scheduled at this time. The bill is considered active as it waits for the committee to decide on its next steps.

Legislative Progress

Senate
House
President
Law
Unlikely to pass

While this bill has many supporters in one party, it faces strong opposition from those who believe the death penalty is necessary for the most serious crimes.

Key Points

Criminal JusticeCivil Rights

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

The roughly 40 people currently on federal death row would benefit most directly. If this bill became law, each of them would be resentenced by a judge, replacing their death sentence with a lesser punishment such as life in prison. Future defendants in federal capital cases would also no longer face the possibility of execution, fundamentally changing the stakes of federal criminal prosecution for the most serious offenses.

any person sentenced to death before the date of enactment of this Act for any violation of Federal law shall be resentenced.
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ImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
May 20, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S2417-2418; text: CR S2418)

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

May 20, 2026

Introduced in Senate

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.

News

No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act

Bill NumberS 4608
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S2417-2418; text: CR S2418)

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(17)
D: 16I: 1

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.