Justice Department Reinstates Firing Squads for Federal Executions Amid Capital Punishment Expansion
The Justice Department has announced the reinstatement of firing squads as a method of execution, as part of a broader initiative to expedite capital punishment cases under President Trump's administration. This move comes after a moratorium on federal executions during the Biden administration, which had removed the use of pentobarbital due to concerns about potential pain and suffering. The Trump administration is also reauthorizing the use of single-drug lethal injections with pentobarbital, previously used to carry out 13 executions. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the previous administration failed to protect the public by not pursuing capital punishment for dangerous criminals. Currently, only three defendants remain on federal death row, with 44 defendants facing potential death sentences. 
