Justice Department expands federal execution methods to include firing squad, moves to expedite death-penalty cases

The Justice Department directed the Bureau of Prisons on Friday to expand death-penalty protocols, adding the firing squad and pentobarbital injections as permitted methods of execution, according to a departmental memo reported by Fox News and a release cited by CNN.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement that "the prior administration failed in its duty to protect the American people by refusing to pursue and carry out the ultimate punishment against the most dangerous criminals, including terrorists, child murderers, and cop killers," and that the department is "once again enforcing the law and standing with victims."

The announcement also described efforts to "streamline the process for seeking death sentences" and reduce the number of years between conviction and execution. The department's release described the actions as "clearing the way for the Department to carry out executions once death-sentenced inmates have exhausted their appeals."

CNN noted that five states currently permit death by firing squad and that in March a South Carolina man convicted of double murder became the fourth person executed by firing squad in the United States since the 1970s. The outlet also provided context that the Biden Justice Department had reversed much of the work done during Trump's first term to expand the federal death penalty.

Fox News reported the story primarily through the text of the DOJ memo, leading with the directive to the Bureau of Prisons and the restoration of what the department described as its "solemn duty" to seek and implement capital sentences. CNN framed the announcement within the arc of policy reversals between administrations and included broader background on the current legal landscape for firing-squad executions across states.