DOJ is bringing back two cruelest methods of federal death penalty, and it’s apparently to provide ‘long-overdue closure to surviving loved ones’

The federal government is moving to expand its available methods for capital punishment, adding firing squads, electrocution, and gas asphyxiation to the existing lethal injection protocol. This shift, announced on a Friday by the Department of Justice, comes as the agency works to fulfill promises made regarding the federal death penalty, NBC News reported. The move specifically addresses challenges the government has faced in securing the necessary drugs for lethal injections, which has historically been a significant hurdle for these operations.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche highlighted the reasoning behind these changes in a report released by the department. The document outlines a plan to modify the Bureau of Prisons execution protocol to include these additional manners of execution that are currently provided for by the law of certain states. By looking at methods already in use at the state level, the Justice Department aims to ensure it is prepared to carry out lawful executions even if a specific drug is unavailable. This includes the gas asphyxiation method that was pioneered by Alabama in 2024.

This development serves as a fulfillment of President Donald Trump’s promise to resume capital punishment in his second term. During his first term, which ended in 2021, the government resumed federal executions after a nearly 20-year gap, ultimately executing 13 federal prisoners with lethal injections in his final few months in office. Shortly after taking office last January, President Trump signed an execution order committing to pursue federal death sentences and directing the attorney general to ensure that states have sufficient supplies of lethal injection drugs for executions.

The Justice Department stated that it has taken sustained action to implement that directive and reverse the efforts of the previous administration to erode the death penalty

Federal executions had been on hold since 2021, when then-Attorney General Merrick Garland imposed a moratorium on federal executions under the Joe Biden presidency, pending a review of the Justice Department’s policies and procedures. Biden, a Democrat, had previously commuted the sentences of 37 of the people awaiting executions on federal death row, leaving only three men.

Now, the landscape is changing rapidly. The department has rescinded the Biden-era moratorium on federal executions and has authorized seeking death sentences against 44 defendants. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has already authorized seeking death sentences against nine of these defendants. In a statement, Blanche noted the department’s stance on these actions, saying, “Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Justice is once again enforcing the law and standing with victims.”

The official statement from the department further elaborated on these changes. “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,” it said.

This protocol relies on pentobarbital as the lethal agent. Furthermore, the department announced that it plans in the coming weeks to consider a rule that will empower states to streamline federal habeas review of capital cases and publish a proposed rule prohibiting capital inmates from submitting clemency petitions.

While the federal government pushes forward with these measures, the broader context of capital punishment in the country remains complex. Currently, five states, including Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah, allow executions by firing squad in certain circumstances.

Despite these state-level provisions and the recent federal push, data suggests a shifting landscape in public sentiment. A Gallup poll published in October found that support for capital punishment in the US for people convicted of murder has been steadily declining over the past three decades, falling from 80% in 1994 to 52% in 2025.

The Death Penalty Information Center reported last year that the evidence shows that the death penalty in 2025 is increasingly unpopular with the American people even as elected officials schedule executions in search of diminishing political benefits.

Nevertheless, the Department of Justice maintains that these steps are necessary to restore its solemn duty to seek, obtain, and implement lawful capital sentences, clearing the way for the Department to carry out executions once death-sentenced inmates have exhausted their appeals. As the department streamlines its internal processes, it remains clear that the administration is focused on executing its stated goals regarding the federal death penalty.

By readopting the lethal injection protocol utilized during the first Trump Administration and introducing older methods like the firing squad, the government is signaling a return to a more aggressive enforcement policy, which is probably taking a leaf out of Israel’s book.