On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed a comprehensive execution order aimed at reinvigorating the death penalty in the United States. This directive instructs the Attorney General to “take all necessary and lawful action” to ensure that states possess sufficient lethal injection drugs to carry out executions. The order marks a significant shift, as federal executions had been effectively halted since a moratorium was put in place by former Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2021.
The order requires the Justice Department to actively seek the death penalty in federal cases where it is warranted. Additionally, it mandates assistance for states facing challenges in maintaining an adequate supply of lethal injection drugs. Trump's action aligns with his long-standing calls to expand capital punishment, especially focusing on severe crimes such as the murder of law enforcement officers and violent offenses committed by individuals illegally residing in the country.
Historically, Trump’s administration was notable for carrying out 13 federal executions during his first term, more than any president in modern history. In his recent campaign speeches, Trump reiterated his support for harsher penalties, notably suggesting that individuals caught selling drugs should face the death penalty. He has also shown admiration for China's strict measures against drug traffickers, emphasizing his resolve to implement similar policies in the U.S.
The execution order comes on the heels of Garland rescinding the Justice Department’s protocol for federal executions, which permitted single-drug lethal injections using pentobarbital. The withdrawal was prompted by concerns regarding the potential for “unnecessary pain and suffering” during executions. Under Trump’s new administration, the implementation of this protocol could be revived by either the acting Attorney General James McHenry III or Pam Bondi, his nominee pending Senate confirmation.
The previous pentobarbital protocol was introduced by Bill Barr, Trump’s Attorney General, as a replacement for a three-drug combination that had been employed in the 2000s before federal executions were reinstated under Trump. With the recent actions by President Biden converting 37 federal death sentences to life imprisonment, only three inmates now remain on federal death row: Dylann Roof, responsible for the 2015 shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston; Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, one of the Boston Marathon bombers; and Robert Bowers, who perpetrated the 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue, marking the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.
Trump’s order emphasizes the government's responsibility to protect its citizens from violent crime, asserting that it will not allow obstacles to capital punishment for those committing egregious acts of violence against Americans. By enhancing the focus on capital punishment, Trump aims to reshape the federal government's approach to a contentious issue that has seen significant fluctuation in policy and public opinion in recent years.
