What Is a Capital Case?
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In the United States, federal law decrees certain crimes as
capital offenses and the trying of such crimes typically
constitutes a capital case. These can include premeditated
or first degree murder, murder of public officials of the
federal government such as politicians and federal agents,
as well as treason. Individual state laws can also involve
capital offenses, and a number of states allow capital
punishment. Many of the state capital offense laws involve
similar acts as federal laws, such as premeditated murder,
murder while committing another crime, certain crimes
against minors, and murder of a law enforcement agent.
A capital case is often considered among the most serious
cases that a person can defend against, as the crime is
usually especially heinous and the verdict can be dire.
Some lawyers choose to specialize in defending such
cases, and this can be from a sense of disagreement with
the use of capital punishment. Capital punishment and the
means of execution have been sources of debate among
legal professionals, politicians, and citizens for decades, all
across the world. Many countries that still utilize capital
punishment sometimes come under criticism from other
nations to abolish the death penalty or at least reduce its
use.