DOJ Reinstates Firing Squads, Electrocution and Gas for Federal Executions
Justice Department memo directs Bureau of Prisons to add firing squads, gas asphyxiation and electrocution, citing drug shortages and deterrence.
Mother JonesThe truth about Trump’s plan to bring back execution by firing squad
BBC NewsUS to allow firing squads, gas and electrocution for federal executions
Epoch TimesDOJ Approves Firing Squads for Federal Death Penalty Cases
CNBCDOJ says it will use firing squads, electrocution again for federal executions
Overview
The Justice Department directed federal prisons to add firing squads, gas asphyxiation and electrocution to federal execution options in a 48 to 52-page memo released Friday by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
The memo cited difficulties sourcing lethal injection drugs and said expanding methods ensures the department can carry out lawful executions if a specific drug is unavailable.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the move restores enforcement of the death penalty and supports victims, while Senator Dick Durbin called the change "cruel, immoral and discriminatory."
President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of 40 federal death row prisoners, leaving three, and 13 federal inmates were executed during Trump's first term.
Blanche has authorized seeking death sentences against roughly nine to 44 people and directed streamlining of internal processes to expedite death penalty cases.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame this as a law-and-order reassertion by foregrounding DOJ procedural moves and Trump’s role, using DOJ statements (for example, "standing with victims") as dominant source content. Editorial choices emphasize logistics and enforcement while omitting civil-rights or defense perspectives, producing a pragmatic, enforcement-focused narrative.