Justice Department calls for expansion of federal death penalty
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Justice Department on Friday released a sweeping report calling for a significant expansion of the federal death penalty, including policy recommendations for faster executions, widening the use of capital punishment, and adopting additional execution methods.
Among key recommendations, the new report calls for the Bureau of Prisons to reinstate the use of pentobarbital as the primary drug for lethal injections, and to broaden execution options to include firing squads, electrocution, and lethal gas.
The report lays out a strategy to restore and strengthen the government's use of the death penalty following what officials described as a period of decline under the Biden administration.
The first Trump Administration carried out the execution of 13 federal death row prisoners. But former Attorney General Merrick Garland announced a moratorium on the federal death penalty in 2021, and former President Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 inmates on federal death row to life imprisonment before leaving office.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in a Friday statement said the Biden administration had failed to protect the American people.
"Under President Trump's leadership, the Department of Justice is once again enforcing the law and standing with victims," Blanche said.
Critics have argued that pentobarbital can cause pulmonary edema, which can cause the condemned person to feel as though they are drowning. The report acknowledges this concern, but claims the drug causes unconsciousness before the inmates feel any pain.
The report follows proposed changes from DOJ that would make it easier for states to win a fast-track federal review of death penalty cases. Additionally, the report calls for curbing appeals and clemency petitions, and advocates for legislation that would expand the number of crimes eligible for capital punishment. It also suggests expanding federal execution facilities, which are currently located at a federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.