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By Dan Gooding
Associate News Editor
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The Trump administration will expedite federal death penalties while reintroducing the lethal injection and the use of the firing squad, it announced on Friday.
The Department of Justice's (DOJ) move comes off the back of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump the day he returned to the White House last year, with a promise to prioritize seeking death sentences for those convicted of serious and violent crimes.
“State-sanctioned killing is not justice. Today, DOJ is turning back the clock by strengthening the barbaric practice of the federal death penalty—a cruel, immoral, and often discriminatory form of punishment," Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, who has pushed legislation to end the federal death penalty, told Newsweek in a statement. “These actions will be remembered as a stain on our nation’s history.”
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Why It Matters
Trump framed his January 2025 executive order as a way to protect public safety by reinstating the death penalty as " an essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes and acts of lethal violence against American citizens."
The president has argued that politicians and judges have sought to avoid founding principles of the U.S., which included a belief that capital punishment was an important tool for bringing about justice.
Use of the death penalty continues to receive a mixed response from American voters, with an October 2025 Gallup poll showing 52 percent in favor, compared to a high of 80 percent in 1994.
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Trump Admin's Changes to Death Penalty
The DOJ released a 52-page report outlining how it would strengthen and restore the death penalty, with Blanche writing that the changes were necessary to deliver justice after 14 years without a federal execution.
At time of publication, the department was seeking the death penalty for 44 people, including three MS-13 gang members.
Under its new plan, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has been told to reinstate an execution protocol rolled out during the first Trump administration that allows the use of lethal injections. The firing squad can also be used once more.
The plan also includes the potential for a new federal execution facility, to help expedite cases and allow for other methods of execution.
Abe Bonowitz, Cofounder of Death Penalty Action, said in a statement later shared with Newsweek, “Donald Trump loves having the power to kill. None of the 13 executions he already has under his belt have made the country any safer.”
Criticism of Biden's DOJ
The announcement included criticism of former President Joe Biden's policies.
“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,” acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a press release. “Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Justice is once again enforcing the law and standing with victims.”
Biden's DOJ, the Trump administration said, used "deeply flawed analysis" when imposing its indefinite pause on executions between 2021 and 2025. The previous DOJ had also avoided seeking the death penalty in cases that might have traditionally seen capital punishment, including cases in which career prosecutors sought it.
During Biden's term, 37 of the 40 death row inmates saw their sentences commuted, based on former Attorney General Merrick Garland's "personal opposition to the death penalty," the announcement alleged.
What Happens Next
While the rollout of the plan has taken more than a year, its immediate effect is that a Biden-era moratorium preventing nine people from being executed has now been lifted.
The DOJ said it hopes to reduce death row wait times, potentially cutting the time spent in prison by years. Revisions will be made to DOJ manuals and practices to ensure the process for seeking the death penalty is streamlined.
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