U.S. Expands Execution Methods, Reintroducing Firing Squads and Electrocution

Sat Apr 25 2026 03:39:30 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

The U.S. Department of Justice has authorized federal executions using firing squads, gas asphyxiation, and electrocution, marking a significant shift in capital punishment practices.

The U.S. Department of Justice has announced a new directive allowing the use of firing squads, gas asphyxiation, and electrocution for federal executions, aiming to bolster the death penalty's effectiveness. This decision reverses a prior moratorium on federal executions and comes amid ongoing debates surrounding the morality and efficacy of capital punishment. Critics, including Democratic legislators, have denounced the move as cruel and discriminatory, while supporters insist it upholds justice for victims.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has directed federal prisons to expand the range of methods used for executions to include firing squads, gas asphyxiation, and electrocution.

In a 48-page memo released on Friday, the department states this will 'strengthen' the death penalty, 'deterring the most barbaric crimes, delivering justice for victims, and providing long-overdue closure to surviving loved ones'.

The previous administration had placed a moratorium on most federal executions. Before leaving office, former president Joe Biden granted clemency to 37 of the 40 federal death row prisoners.

President Donald Trump directed the DOJ to resume seeking executions on his first day in office last year.

The memo also defends the use of lethal injection, calling the drug pentobarbital 'the gold standard of lethal injection drugs'. It has been the default means for federal executions since 1993 but has faced criticism as a potentially cruel method of execution, with challenges in sourcing the drug.

Broadening the means of executions 'will help ensure the Department is prepared to carry out lawful executions even if a specific drug is unavailable', the DOJ said in an accompanying report.

Trump, a long-time supporter of the death penalty, ended a 20-year moratorium on federal executions during his first term, overseeing the execution of thirteen death row inmates.

On his first day back in office in January 2025, he signed an executive order directing that the death penalty should be pursued again 'for all crimes of a severity demanding its use', as well as in cases where an illegal immigrant kills a law enforcement officer.

In response, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche argued that the previous administration failed in its duty to protect the American people by not pursuing the ultimate punishment against dangerous offenders, including terrorists and child murderers.

Democratic Senator Dick Durbin criticized the changes as 'cruel, immoral, and discriminatory', declaring that expanding the federal death penalty is a stain on history.

Some states already utilize alternative execution methods, with five states having firing squads and Alabama being the first state to employ nitrogen gas for executions in 2024.