Proposes constitutional amendment to restore the death penalty under certain circumstances.
SCR 39 proposes a constitutional amendment to restore the death penalty in New Jersey for certain murder convictions. It would require the Legislature to create a law allowing the death penalty only when a jury (or judge without a jury) finds "no doubt" that aggravating factors outweigh mitigating factors - stricter than the prior "beyond reasonable doubt" standard. The amendment also sets deadlines: the state Supreme Court must rule on death penalty appeals within 150 days, and post-conviction appeals must be filed within one year after final U.S. Supreme Court review. This applies only to crimes committed after the amendment is approved by voters. The bill does not enact the death penalty itself but creates the constitutional framework for its potential future implementation.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026
Last action Jan 13, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
1
Key actions
0
Committee
0
Jan 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Parker Space
RRepublican
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