Trump administration reinstates firing squad For death penalty

• Federal government readopts firing squad as execution method in major policy shift.

In a sweeping policy reversal, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday that it will readopt the firing squad as a sanctioned method for federal executions.

The move is part of a broader initiative by the Trump administration to "restore and strengthen" the federal death penalty, aiming to expedite capital cases that have faced years of procedural delays.

The announcement, delivered by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, marks a definitive end to the moratorium on federal executions maintained during the Biden administration.

Key policy changes

The DOJ’s new "Restoring and Strengthening the Federal Death Penalty" report outlines three primary pillars of the reform:

• Expansion of execution methods: The federal protocol will now include the firing squad alongside lethal injection.
• Readoption of pentobarbital: The DOJ is returning to the use of a single-drug protocol (pentobarbital), which was utilized for 13 executions during the first Trump administration.
• Streamlined appeals: The Department plans to "simplify internal procedures" to reduce the time between conviction and the carrying out of a sentence.

"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," Acting Attorney General Blanche stated. "We are once again enforcing the law and standing with victims."

The return of "musketry"

While the military has historically used the firing squad (formerly referred to in manuals as "musketry", the federal government has not utilized the method in modern history. Currently, only five states, Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah, authorize its use.

The DOJ has directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to evaluate the expansion or relocation of the federal death row to accommodate the logistical requirements of these "additional manners of execution."

Legal and ethical debate

The shift has immediately reignited a fierce national debate. Proponents argue that the firing squad is more reliable than lethal injection, which has been plagued by drug shortages and high-profile "botched" procedures.

Conversely, civil rights groups and legal experts have criticized the move as a regression. The Biden-era DOJ had previously withdrawn the pentobarbital protocol, citing "significant uncertainty" regarding whether the drug caused unnecessary pain and suffering, a potential violation of the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.

The administration’s new report counters those findings, asserting that the previous administration "got the science wrong" and that pentobarbital causes a rapid loss of consciousness.

The policy changes are expected to face immediate challenges in federal court. However, with the executive order already in effect, the DOJ is moving forward with reviewing dozens of pending cases involving "the most violent offenders," including those convicted of terrorism and crimes against children.

For the first time in decades, the silhouette of the firing squad stands as a possible reality for those on federal death row.