Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jan 26, 2005
Innocent Life Protection Act of 2005 - Requires any State which had sentenced to death a person determined to be innocent by a subsequent judicial process, to suspend the imposition and carrying out of the death penalty for at least ten years.
Prohibits a State from terminating such moratorium until it has, upon application, received a written determination by the Attorney General that: (1) due process of law with respect to capital punishment is observed within that State; (2) the State has established a broadly representative judicial review board that has examined all death penalty cases which are subject to the moratorium and determined they are free of due process violations; (3) during the last ten years of the moratorium there has been no reversal on appeal by a defendant from a capital sentence; (4) the State pursues capital punishment cases without racial bias; and (5) the State meets American Bar Association standards for appointment, performance, and compensation of counsel for indigent persons.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 15, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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