Full Breakdown
DOJ Restores Firing Squads and Expands Federal Execution Methods
4/26/2026, 7:50:53 AM
Policy Shift to Expand Federal Execution Methods
On April 24 2026 the Justice Department issued a report directing the Bureau of Prisons to add firing squads, electrocution, gas asphyxiation and nitrogen-gas to the federal execution protocol and to reinstate lethal injection (pentobarbital) used under the first Trump administration, ending the Biden moratorium.
Background & Context
Federal executions halted until the Trump administration resumed them in 2017, carrying out 13 lethal-injection deaths before leaving office in 2021. Biden imposed a moratorium and commuted 37 of 40 federal death sentences, leaving Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Robert Bowers on death row. Todd Blanche announced the new policy; the report cites former Attorneys General Bill Barr and Merrick Garland. The DOJ says the Biden era “got the science wrong.”
Data & Statistics
Five states—Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah—allow firing squads. Four people have been executed by this method; a South Carolina inmate in March 2026 was the latest. Sources differ on the DOJ’s authorized death-penalty seekers: nine or 44. Three federal death-row inmates remain after Biden’s commutations. The DOJ cites drug shortages as a reason for adding alternatives.
Official Statements & Responses
The DOJ press release calls the steps “critical to deterring crime, delivering justice for victims.” The report says the Biden administration “weakened, delayed and dismantled the death penalty” and claims the new protocols keep the department ready to execute even if a drug is unavailable.
Criticism & Opposition
Sen. Dick Durbin called the expansion “cruel, immoral, and discriminatory.” The ACLU called the revival of firing squads and gas “cruel and unusual punishment.”
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the number of defendants the DOJ has authorized for death-penalty seeking (nine vs. 44). Some list electrocution and gas; others list only firing squads and lethal injection. No Biden comment appears.
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
- “Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Justice is once again enforcing the law and standing with victims.” — Todd Blanche
- “This isn’t justice. It’s cruel, immoral, and discriminatory,” — Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)
- “The department also published a report criticizing the Biden Justice Department for causing” — Todd Blanche
- “This modification will help ensure the Department is prepared to carry out lawful executions even if a specific drug is unavailable,” — DOJ report
What’s Next
The DOJ will finalize rules for electrocution, gas asphyxiation and nitrogen-gas, and may build execution facilities. Civil-rights groups plan lawsuits; the three remaining federal death-row inmates face possible execution under the new protocol.
