Justice Department adds firing squads and restores lethal injection for federal executions

Friday, April 24, 2026U.S. PoliticsWell-covered4 frames

The Justice Department announced that federal execution protocols will be expanded to allow firing squads.
The department is also restoring the lethal-injection protocol used during Trump’s first term for federal executions.
The policy change follows President Donald Trump’s order at the start of his new term to resume or prioritize federal capital punishment.
Justice Department materials and multiple reports say the changes are intended to ensure executions can proceed even if drugs used for lethal injection are not available.
The Biden administration had paused federal executions in 2021 under Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Before leaving office, President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row.
During Trump’s first term, the federal government carried out 13 executions after resuming federal executions following a long pause.
Reports on the new policy say the administration is also seeking to accelerate death-penalty case processing, but the timing and scope of any future federal executions remain unresolved.

The Justice Department announced that federal execution protocols will be expanded to allow firing squads.
The department is also restoring the lethal-injection protocol used during Trump’s first term for federal executions.
The policy change follows President Donald Trump’s order at the start of his new term to resume or prioritize federal capital punishment.
Justice Department materials and multiple reports say the changes are intended to ensure executions can proceed even if drugs used for lethal injection are not available.
The Biden administration had paused federal executions in 2021 under Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Before leaving office, President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row.
During Trump’s first term, the federal government carried out 13 executions after resuming federal executions following a long pause.
Reports on the new policy say the administration is also seeking to accelerate death-penalty case processing, but the timing and scope of any future federal executions remain unresolved.