The U.S. Department of Justice has announced it will permit firing squads as a method of execution for federal death row inmates, marking a significant expansion of capital punishment protocols under the Trump administration. The decision, revealed on April 24, 2026, comes as part of a broader effort to reinvigorate federal executions after a moratorium during the Biden administration. According to the Justice Department, the move aims to expedite death penalty cases and provide what officials describe as long-overdue closure for victims’ families.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that 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. He emphasized that under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Justice is once again enforcing the law and standing with victims. The announcement follows President Trump’s Day-One executive order directing the department to prioritize seeking and implementing death sentences to protect public safety.
The Justice Department is also reauthorizing the use of single-drug lethal injections with pentobarbital, the protocol used during the first Trump administration to carry out 13 executions—more than under any president in modern history. The Biden administration had removed pentobarbital from the federal protocol over concerns about the potential for unnecessary pain and suffering. In addition to firing squads and pentobarbital-based lethal injections, the department is expanding the protocol to include additional manners of execution, though specific methods beyond firing squads were not detailed in the announcement.
As of the announcement, only three defendants remain on federal death row after Democratic President Joe Biden converted 37 of their sentences to life in prison in 2021. However, the Trump administration has authorized seeking death sentences against 44 defendants since taking office. The Federal Bureau of Prisons manages the housing and execution of federal death row prisoners, with the federal death row for men and the execution chamber located at the United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana.
The federal government imposes and carries out a small minority of death sentences in the United States, with the vast majority being applied by state governments. Capital punishment is a legal punishment under the criminal justice system of the United States federal government and is the most serious punishment that can be imposed under federal law. The serious crimes that warrant this punishment include treason, espionage, murder, large-scale drug trafficking, or attempted murder of a witness, juror, or court officer in certain cases.
In practice, the federal government rarely carries out executions. As a result of the Supreme Court opinion in Furman v. Georgia in 1972, the federal death penalty was suspended from law until its reinstatement by Congress in 1988. No federal executions occurred between 1972 and 2001. From 2001 to 2003, three people were executed by the federal government. No further federal executions occurred from March 18, 2003, up to July 14, 2020, when they resumed under President Donald Trump, during which 13 death row inmates were executed in the last six months of his first presidency. Since January 16, 2021, no further executions have been performed.
The Justice Department said This proves streamlining internal processes to expedite death penalty cases and clear the way for the department to carry out executions once death-sentenced inmates have exhausted their appeals. These steps are described as critical to deterring the most barbaric crimes, delivering justice for victims, and providing long-overdue closure to surviving loved ones. The department did not specify a timeline for when the first execution by firing squad might occur.
Federal executions are carried out by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice. The decision to allow firing squads aligns with actions taken in several states that have authorized alternative execution methods in response to difficulties obtaining lethal injection drugs. South Carolina, for example, has planned to carry out a firing squad execution and has faced legal challenges over the safety of witnesses.
The announcement has drawn attention from legal experts and advocacy groups concerned about the implications of expanding execution methods. Critics argue that the move risks reviving controversial practices and could lead to legal challenges over Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment. Supporters, however, contend that providing multiple execution methods ensures that sentences can be carried out despite pharmaceutical restrictions on lethal injection drugs.
The Department of Justice has not released detailed protocols for how firing squad executions would be conducted under federal law, including specifications for the number of shooters, weapon type, or procedures to ensure a swift and humane death. Historically, firing squad executions in the United States have involved a team of shooters aiming at the inmate’s heart, with one shooter sometimes given a blank round to create uncertainty among participants about who fired the lethal shot.
As of the date of the announcement, no federal inmate has been scheduled for execution by firing squad. The Justice Department stated that executions will only proceed after all appeals have been exhausted, in accordance with federal law. The next step in the process involves internal reviews of the updated execution protocols and potential legal challenges that may arise from the expansion of permitted methods.
For updates on federal death penalty policies and execution procedures, the public can refer to official announcements from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The department encourages stakeholders to monitor its website and the Federal Register for notices regarding changes to capital punishment protocols.
This development reflects a broader national conversation about the future of capital punishment in the United States, where public opinion remains divided and an increasing number of states have abolished the death penalty or imposed moratoriums on executions. The federal government’s move to expand execution methods contrasts with trends in many state jurisdictions, which have shifted away from capital punishment due to concerns about innocence, racial disparity, and the high costs of death penalty cases.
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