US Department of Justice under Trump expands federal death penalty use including firing squads

The United States Department of Justice under the administration of President Donald Trump has announced an expansion of the federal death penalty, including the reauthorization of execution methods such as firing squads.

This policy update was detailed in a document released on April 24, 2026, outlining plans to prioritize death penalty cases and restore capital punishment enforcement.

The Justice Department confirmed that it will resume executions once death-sentenced inmates have exhausted their appeals.

The policy includes the return to using the drug pentobarbital for lethal injections and the legal acceptance of execution by firing squads, electrocution, and lethal gas.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the federal death penalty had been effectively halted under the previous administration of President Joe Biden, who had implemented a moratorium on federal executions.

The new policy reverses this moratorium and aims to shorten the length of some legal appeals to expedite the process.

This development is significant as it marks a shift from the Biden-era approach to capital punishment, reinstating a more aggressive federal stance on the death penalty.

The policy document emphasizes restoring and strengthening the death penalty as integral to the pursuit of justice.

President Trump has been a long-time advocate for increasing the use of the death penalty.

Historical context includes his 1989 public campaign to reinstate the death penalty following a high-profile criminal case, although some convictions in that case were later overturned by DNA evidence.

The policy document also addresses constitutional considerations, noting that while the Eighth Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishments, the Justice Department maintains that the methods now authorized comply with legal standards.

The announcement comes amid ongoing debates about the morality and legality of capital punishment in the United States, with critics warning about the risk of wrongful convictions and the ethical implications of execution methods.

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