Full Breakdown
Federal Death Penalty Revived: DOJ Reinstates Firing Squads and Lethal Injection
4/25/2026, 3:19:56 AM
DOJ Announces Restoration of Federal Execution Methods
On April 24, 2026 the U.S. Department of Justice announced it will reinstate firing squads and readopt lethal-injection using pentobarbital for federal executions, expanding the protocol to include electrocution and lethal-gas and rescinding the Biden-Garland moratorium.
Background & Context
Trump’s 2017-2021 term ended a 20-year federal execution pause with 13 lethal-injection deaths. A 2021 moratorium by Attorney General Merrick Garland was lifted by Trump’s executive order on his second inauguration, prompting the 2026 policy change.
Key Figures & Groups
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the changes. The Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, President Trump and former Attorney General Merrick Garland are the principal actors.
Data & Statistics
Thirteen federal inmates were executed under Trump’s first term. Biden commuted 37 of 40 death-row sentences, leaving three men—Tsarnaev, Roof, Bowers—on federal death row. Blanche has authorized seeking death sentences against nine of 44 defendants. Federal law permits any state-authorized method; 27 states retain at least one execution method, and sources report either four or five states currently allow firing squads.
Official Statements & Responses
The DOJ press release called the steps “critical to deterring the most barbaric crimes, delivering justice for victims, and providing long-overdue closure to surviving loved ones.” Blanche said the department is “once again enforcing the law and standing with victims” under Trump. The report found pentobarbital use consistent with the Eighth Amendment and condemned the prior administration for “weakening, delaying and dismantling the death penalty.”
Criticism & Opposition
Legal scholars and death-penalty opponents warn that firing squads increase wrongful-execution risk, may breach the Eighth Amendment, and reflect desperation over lethal-injection drug shortages caused by European manufacturers’ refusal. Several states maintain moratoriums.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the number of states authorizing firing squads: some list four (Utah, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Mississippi), others include Idaho, reporting five.
Verbatim Quotes
- “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,” — Todd Blanche, Acting Attorney General
- “Among the actions taken are readopting the lethal injection protocol utilized during the first Trump Administration, expanding the protocol to include additional manners of execution such as the firing squad, and streamlining internal processes to expedite death penalty cases,” — Justice Department press release
What's Next
The DOJ will propose a rule to shorten federal appeals in capital cases and direct the BOP to adapt facilities for new methods. Anticipated civil-rights lawsuits may delay implementation, while prosecutors target additional terrorism and child-murder cases.
