The Justice Department said Friday it is moving to revive firing squads and reinstate lethal injection as part of a broader push to ramp up the federal death penalty.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has approved pursuing death sentences against nine defendants after the department scrapped a Biden-era pause on federal executions, officials said.
“Among the actions taken are readopting the lethal injection protocol utilized during the first Trump Administration, expanding the protocol to include additional manners of execution such as the firing squad, and streamlining internal processes to expedite death penalty cases,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
“These steps are critical to deterring the most barbaric crimes, delivering justice for victims, and providing long-overdue closure to surviving loved ones,” it said.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Justice is once again enforcing the law and standing with victims,” Blanche said.
The move marks a sharp return to a tougher federal stance after executions were halted under the previous administration.
President Donald Trump resumed federal executions during his first term, from 2017 to 2021, ending a nearly two-decade gap. The latest changes signal an effort to accelerate those cases and broaden how sentences can be carried out.
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