NJ A1260

Restores capital punishment in New Jersey for murders where the victim was a law enforcement or corrections officer killed in the line of duty or because of their status, where the victim was under 18 years old, or where the murder occurred during commission of terrorism

Establishes a separate sentencing proceeding where juries weigh 12 aggravating factors (including prior murder conviction, torture, murder-for-hire, victim under 14) against 8 mitigating factors (mental disturbance, no prior criminal history, defendant's age) to determine if death penalty applies

Specifies execution method as lethal injection using an ultrashort-acting barbiturate combined with a chemical paralytic agent, with prior sedation administered by licensed medical personnel

Requires automatic appeal to the New Jersey Supreme Court for all death sentences, with proportionality review available upon defendant's request comparing the sentence to similar capital cases

Exempts juveniles tried as adults from death penalty eligibility and allows inmates sentenced to death prior to the 2007 abolition to petition for resentencing to life without parole