April 25, 2026

US Reintroduces Federal Death Penalty, Including Firing Squads

The US Department of Justice has announced the lifting of the federal moratorium on the death penalty, which was imposed in 2021 during Joe Biden's presidency. Additionally, the department has authorized death penalty requests for 44 defendants. This decision is the result of a Trump directive made on the first day of his new presidential term. It involves the reintroduction of lethal injection, the expansion of execution methods to include firing squads, and the simplification of internal procedures to expedite death penalty cases after appeals are exhausted. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated, 'The previous administration failed in its duty to protect the American people by refusing to prosecute and apply the ultimate penalty against the most dangerous criminals, including terrorists, child murderers, and cop killers. Under President Trump's leadership, the Department of Justice is once again enforcing the law and supporting victims.' In 2025, Donald Trump signed a decree introducing the death penalty for those accused of murders committed in Washington. In the same year, a convict was executed by firing squad in the US for the first time in 15 years. The executed was 67-year-old Brad Sigmon, convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend's parents with a baseball bat in 2001. The man himself chose the firing squad as his method of execution.