The administration of president Donald Trump has announced the restoration of federal executions in the United States, authorizing the Department of Justice (DoJ) to carry out capital sentences once death-row inmates have exhausted all appeals.
The move comes amid heightened security concerns following an armed attack near a White House dinner, which officials say underscores the need for tougher criminal justice measures.
Under the new directive, the DoJ will reinstate the lethal injection protocol used during Trump’s first term and expand execution methods to include firing squads. The administration also plans to streamline internal procedures to accelerate the handling of death penalty cases.
Officials argue that the policy shift is necessary to deter violent crimes, ensure justice for victims, and provide closure for affected families. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the decision follows a presidential directive to prioritize capital punishment in appropriate cases and to carry out sentences without unnecessary delays.
Blanche criticized the previous administration led by Joe Biden, accusing it of weakening the justice system by limiting the use of the death penalty. He also faulted former Attorney General Merrick Garland for policies that commuted the sentences of most federal death-row inmates without consulting victims’ families.
In December 2024, Biden commuted the sentences of 37 out of 40 federal death-row inmates to life imprisonment, leaving only three cases untouched, including those linked to the Boston Marathon bombing and the Tree of Life synagogue shooting.
The Trump administration has now rescinded the Biden-era moratorium on federal executions and authorized prosecutors to seek death sentences in 44 pending cases. Blanche has already approved capital punishment proceedings for nine defendants, including alleged members of the MS-13 gang accused of killing a federal witness.
Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has been instructed to reinstate execution protocols involving pentobarbital and to prepare for the use of firing squads where applicable. The DoJ also plans to restrict clemency petitions by death-row inmates until their appeals and initial legal challenges have been fully resolved.
Since the federal death penalty was reinstated in 1988, the U.S. government has carried out 16 executions—three under George W. Bush and 13 during Trump’s first term between July 2020 and January.
Nigerian Newssphere reports that Trump, others evacuated from White House after a man attacked a Washington dinner.
