Thin Blue Line Act

Summary#

This bill, called the Thin Blue Line Act, would change federal death penalty law. It would add a new aggravating factor to 18 U.S.C. 3592(c). The new factor applies when a defendant killed or tried to kill a person who is authorized by law to do any of the following: prevent, detain, investigate, prosecute, or incarcerate people; apprehend, arrest, or prosecute individuals; or be a firefighter or other first responder. The factor applies if the person was killed or targeted while doing official duties, because of doing official duties, or because of their status as a public official or employee. The bill was introduced in the House on January 14, 2025, and referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

What it means for you#

• For defendants in a federal capital case: prosecutors could argue this added factor as a reason to seek the death penalty when the victim fits the listed roles and the listed circumstances apply.
• For the listed victims (law enforcement officers, prosecutors, firefighters, other first responders): the bill names their role or status as an aggravating circumstance if they are killed or targeted in the ways described.
• For the public: the bill changes how one specific factor would be considered in sentencing in federal death penalty cases.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

The bill's text and title state its purpose: to provide additional aggravating factors for imposing the death penalty based on the victim's status. Sponsors introduced the bill and sent it to the House Judiciary Committee for review.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.