The U.S. Department of Justice has announced plans to reinstate firing squads and electric chairs for certain federal death penalty cases, marking a significant shift in execution methods under the Trump administration.
According to reports from multiple news outlets, the DOJ is seeking to expand the range of execution techniques available for federal capital punishment, including the use of firing squads and electrocution, methods that have been rarely used in recent decades.
The move comes amid broader discussions about the future of the death penalty in the United States, with religious leaders such as Pope Leo publicly encouraging abolitionists in response to the administration’s push to revive older forms of execution.
Officials say the change would apply only to specific cases where lethal injection drugs are unavailable or legally challenged, allowing alternative methods to be carried out under existing federal statutes.
The development underscores ongoing national debates over criminal justice reform and the ethics of capital punishment, particularly as several states continue to grapple with shortages of drugs used in lethal injections.
While no federal executions have been carried out using firing squads or electric chairs in recent years, the DOJ’s proposal signals a renewed focus on maintaining the viability of the death penalty at the federal level through technically permissible alternatives.
