DeSantis signs law that allows the death penalty against child rapists and that could end up in the Supreme Court

By Rose Horowitch -

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Monday allowing the death penalty for child molesters, potentially sparking a legal battle in the nation's Supreme Court.

The measure, which

, makes sexual assault against a minor under the age of 12 a capital offense.

DeSantis, a likely Republican candidate in the 2024 election, has tried to send a message of law and order as he tries to bring Florida's politics to a national audience.

In a statement announcing the signing of the measure, DeSantis touched on his "tough on crime policies."

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.AP

"We believe that in the worst of the worst cases, the only appropriate punishment is maximum punishment," DeSantis said at a news conference in Titusville on Monday, from a podium marked "law and order."

The legislation, which passed with overwhelming support in the Florida House and Senate,

.

In April, DeSantis signed legislation that reduced the number of jurors needed to recommend the death penalty from 12 to eight.

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La ley firmada el lunes va en contra de una decisión de Corte Suprema de 2008, que impide que los estados impongan la pena de muerte por violación de un menor si la víctima no muere. En ese momento, una coalición de trabajadores sociales y organizaciones que se se oponen a la violencia sexual apoyaron el fallo de la corte, y argumentaron que convertir el abuso sexual de niños un delito capital iba a dejar a las víctimas más renuentes de nombrar a sus victimarios e incrementar los incentivos para los que violadores de niños mataran a sus víctimas.

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In a statement,

," and accused judicial precedents of "unfairly" protecting child molesters from the death penalty.