The Department of Justice under the Trump administration announced on Friday that it is officially reinstating death by firing squad as a permissible method of execution for federal death row inmates.
The move is part of several broader reforms aimed at “restoring the Department’s solemn duty to seek, obtain, and implement lawful capital sentences,” which includes readopting the lethal injection protocol used during President Donald Trump’s first term, expanding available execution methods to include the firing squad and other constitutional alternatives, and streamlining internal processes to expedite death penalty cases.
The department also released a report titled “Restoring and Strengthening the Federal Death Penalty.”
“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 said in a press release.
Blanche continued, “Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Justice is once again enforcing the law and standing with victims.”
The department criticized the Biden administration for imposing a moratorium on federal executions, directing prosecutors not to seek the death penalty in appropriate cases, dismantling key capital punishment infrastructure, and recommending the commutation of 37 lawful death sentences without fully consulting victims’ families or prosecutors.
“Under the leadership of President Trump and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the Justice Department is committed to correcting these failures and restoring the lawful administration of the death penalty,” the department said in the announcement.
“The Department has rescinded the Biden-Garland moratorium on federal executions and has authorized seeking death sentences against 44 defendants. Acting Attorney General Blanche has already authorized seeking death sentences against nine of these defendants, including three MS-13 members, two of whom are illegal aliens, accused of murdering a federal witness.”
The DOJ cited serious supply and legal challenges with lethal injection drugs as a major reason for expanding options.
Some states have already reinstated firing squads due to these issues.
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