The Justice Department announced on Friday that it has reinstated the federal death penalty after a four-year moratorium and expanded the authorized methods of execution to include firing squad, alongside lethal injection.
Attorney General Merrick Garland signed the order directing the Bureau of Prisons to resume federal executions using lethal injection as the primary method, while also permitting firing squad as an alternative where state law allows it and lethal injection is deemed unavailable.
The decision reverses a moratorium on federal executions imposed by Attorney General William Barr in July 2020, which had paused all federal death penalty cases pending a review of execution protocols.
Under the recent protocol, federal courts may now impose death sentences requiring execution by firing squad in jurisdictions that have authorized the method for state-level executions, such as Utah, Mississippi, and Oklahoma.
The Justice Department stated that the expansion aims to ensure that executions can proceed without delay when lethal injection drugs are unavailable due to pharmaceutical restrictions or legal challenges.
Human rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Death Penalty Information Center, criticized the move as a step backward in the nation’s evolving standards of decency, citing concerns about the potential for pain and suffering associated with firing squad executions.
Conversely, supporters of the decision, including some victims’ families and law enforcement groups, argued that the restoration of federal executions provides justice for heinous crimes and reflects the will of Congress and the American public.
The Bureau of Prisons has not yet scheduled any federal executions under the new protocol, pending the completion of required legal and administrative procedures.
