President Trump’s unrelenting drive to broaden the death penalty is shaking up statehouses like a political earthquake.

Across the nation, inspired by Trump’s bold January executive order to “restore” capital punishment, lawmakers are pushing a wave of bills to expand its reach, The Hill reported.

Let’s rewind to January, when Trump issued an executive order labeling the death penalty “an essential tool” for deterrence, urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue it for crimes like the murder of law enforcement and certain federal offenses by unauthorized migrants.

Trump's Order Sparks Statehouse Frenzy

That same order also pushed the Justice Department to challenge Supreme Court rulings that have long restricted capital punishment’s application at both state and federal levels.

Fast forward, and state legislators are jumping on the bandwagon—since Trump’s return to office, executions have spiked, and over 100 death penalty bills have hit statehouse floors this year, per the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), dwarfing previous years’ numbers.

States aren’t just tweaking laws; they’re swinging for the fences with bills in 14 states expanding eligibility and aggravating factors—23 this year compared to just six last year, according to data reviewed by The Hill.

Targeting New Crimes for Execution

Republican-led efforts are zeroing in on crimes like the killing of police officers, child sex offenses, and even abortion, with states like South Carolina, Indiana, and Alabama pushing to classify the latter as murder worthy of execution.

In Florida and Pennsylvania, bills mandate capital punishment for unauthorized migrants committing serious crimes, while Oklahoma, Virginia, and Missouri are among states eyeing the death penalty for child trafficking and related offenses.

Florida, leading the charge, has executed 13 individuals since January and passed five related bills, including one inspired by Trump’s order that sailed through both chambers and was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Challenging Court Precedents Head-On

But here’s the rub—critics, including Democrats and legal experts, argue many of these bills, at least 12 by one count, clash with long-standing Supreme Court decisions like the 1976 ruling against mandatory death sentences and the 2008 Kennedy v. Louisiana case barring execution for non-homicide crimes.

Yet, hope springs eternal for GOP lawmakers who believe a conservative-leaning Supreme Court might rethink past limits, especially as the court hasn’t stayed a single execution this year, a shift from its historical oversight.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, alongside 14 other state attorneys general, penned a letter last month to federal officials, citing Trump’s order and urging support to uphold death sentences for child rape, directly challenging existing precedent. “The undersigned attorneys general therefore commit to urging their state legislatures … to promptly enact legislation authorizing the imposition of the death penalty for the rape of a child,” they wrote collectively.

Public Opinion and Ethical Dilemmas

Public support, however, isn’t keeping pace—Gallup polls show backing for capital punishment in murder cases at a five-decade low of 53%, down from 80% three decades ago, a trend that progressive advocates argue lawmakers are ignoring.

As DPIC Executive Director Robin Maher noted, “There is a hope and an intent to use this legislation as a way of changing the law and pushing the law in the direction that some of these legislators believe that it should go.”

Call it ambition or overreach, but it’s clear the push is less about public will and more about a hardline vision for justice.