DOJ Reinstates Firing Squads, Expands Federal Execution Methods

The Justice Department announced Friday that it would reimplement lethal injection protocols from the first Trump administration while expanding execution methods to include firing squads. "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 department said in a press release.[1] The reinstatement follows Attorney General Pam Bondi's February 2025 decision to lift the federal moratorium on capital punishment that had been implemented under President Biden. Bondi ordered federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in appropriate cases, signaling the administration's commitment to accelerating executions.[1] Justice Department officials framed the expansion as essential to public safety. "These measures would be critical to deterring the most barbaric crimes, delivering justice for victims, and providing long-overdue closure to surviving loved ones," the department stated.[1] The DOJ also published a report criticizing the Biden Justice Department for causing "untold harm to the public" through steps to "weaken, delay and dismantle the death penalty."[1] The department contends that pentobarbital, the drug used for lethal injection executions, does not constitute a violation of the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment—a position that will likely face legal challenges from death penalty opponents.[1] Firing squad executions represent a significant expansion from previous federal practice, as lethal injection has been the primary execution method in recent decades.