US Justice Department Seeks to Expand Death Penalty with Firing Squad, Electrocution and Gas as Execution Methods
- Department of Justice has announced it is expanding the federal death penalty by readopting lethal injection and adding firing squad, electrocution, and gas asphyxiation as permitted methods of...
- The actions, announced on Friday, April 24, 2026, follow President Donald Trump’s Day One executive order directing the Justice Department to prioritize seeking and carrying out death sentences...
- The prior administration failed in its duty to protect the American people by refusing to pursue and carry out the ultimate punishment against the most dangerous criminals, including...
The U.S. Department of Justice has announced it is expanding the federal death penalty by readopting lethal injection and adding firing squad, electrocution, and gas asphyxiation as permitted methods of execution in federal capital cases.
The actions, announced on Friday, April 24, 2026, follow President Donald Trump’s Day One executive order directing the Justice Department to prioritize seeking and carrying out death sentences to protect public safety. The department stated it is restoring its duty to seek, obtain, and implement lawful capital sentences after a moratorium under the Biden administration.
The prior administration failed in its duty to protect the American people by refusing to pursue and carry out the ultimate punishment against the most dangerous criminals, including terrorists, child murderers, and cop killers.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche
Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Justice is once again enforcing the law and standing with victims.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche
The Justice Department said it is readopting the lethal injection protocol used during the first Trump administration, which carried out 13 federal executions — more than under any president in modern history. The Biden administration had removed pentobarbital from the federal execution protocol over concerns about unnecessary pain and suffering.
The department is also expanding the protocol to include additional manners of execution such as firing squad, electrocution, and gas asphyxiation, citing difficulties in obtaining lethal injection drugs. Officials said the move is part of a broader effort to expedite death penalty cases and resume federal executions after a hiatus.
Only three defendants remain on federal death row after President Joe Biden commuted 37 death sentences to life in prison. However, the Trump administration has authorized seeking death sentences against 44 defendants.
The Justice Department said the actions are critical to deterring the most barbaric crimes, delivering justice for victims, and providing long-overdue closure to surviving loved ones. The department added that it is streamlining internal processes to expedite death penalty cases once inmates have exhausted their appeals.