Federal Executions Reinstated and Expanded: Justice Department Authorizes Lethal Injection & Firing Squads
The United States Department of Justice announced on Friday that it is reinstating and expanding federal execution protocols, including the re-authorization of lethal injections and the addition of firing squads. The policy changes reverse the moratorium on federal executions that was in place during the Biden administration.
Key Policy Changes
The Justice Department has readopted the single-drug lethal injection protocol that uses pentobarbital as the lethal agent. This protocol was previously used during the first Trump administration, during which 13 federal prisoners were executed between 2020 and 2021.
The department has also expanded the list of authorized execution methods to include firing squads. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has been instructed to modify its execution protocol to incorporate methods used by certain states, including gas asphyxiation, electrocution, and gunfire. The proposal for alternative methods was outlined in a 52-page report released on Friday.
Firing squads are currently authorized in five states: Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah.
Background and Context
Federal executions had been on hold since 2021 under Attorney General Merrick Garland's moratorium. In February 2025, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi ended the moratorium and directed prosecutors to seek the death penalty in appropriate cases.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January 2025 committing to pursue federal death sentences and directing states to have sufficient execution drug supplies.
President Joe Biden imposed a moratorium on federal executions in 2021. At the end of his term, he commuted the sentences of 37 of 40 federal death row inmates to life without parole.
Current Federal Death Row Population
Three defendants remain on federal death row after President Biden's commutations:
- Dylann Roof, convicted for the 2015 Charleston church shooting
- Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, convicted for the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing
- Robert Bowers, convicted for the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
The Justice Department under Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has authorized pursuing death sentences against 44 defendants.
Legal and Procedural Actions
The Biden-era moratorium on federal executions has been rescinded. The Department of Justice is streamlining internal processes to expedite death penalty cases and plans to consider a rule to streamline federal habeas review of capital cases.
Government Statements
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the prior administration failed to carry out executions and that the department would fulfill its duty to protect the public. The department released a report criticizing the Biden administration's death penalty policies.
Responses from Critics and Religious Leaders
Death penalty opponents have criticized the proposal. Cassandra Stubbs of the American Civil Liberties Union stated that the Justice Department "embraces forms of execution that have been widely denounced for their cruelty." Senator Dick Durbin called the death penalty "barbaric" and said the actions "will be remembered as a stain on our nation's history."
Pope Leo XIV released a video message on Friday stating that the Catholic Church teaches each human life is sacred from conception to natural death and that dignity is not lost after serious crimes. Legal challenges to the new execution methods are anticipated.
Execution Trends
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, executions in the US rose from 25 in 2024 to 47 in 2025, with 19 occurring in Florida. The Gallup polling organization reported that public support for the death penalty has declined from 80% in 1994 to 52% in 2025. The Death Penalty Information Center estimates 202 exonerations since 1973.