The US Department of Justice announced that it has lifted the federal moratorium on executions that was introduced in 2021 during Joe Biden’s presidency. The department also authorized the filing of motions seeking the death penalty against 44 defendants. This was reported on its website.
The decision was made in accordance with an order issued by Donald Trump on the first day of his new presidential term. It provides for the restoration of execution by lethal injection, the expansion of execution methods to include firing squad, and the simplification of internal procedures to speed up the handling of death penalty cases after appeals have been exhausted.
“The previous administration failed in its duty to protect the American people by refusing to seek and impose capital punishment against the most dangerous criminals, including terrorists, child killers, and cop killers. Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Justice is once again enforcing the law and standing with victims,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said.
In 2025, Donald Trump signed an executive order introducing the death penalty for defendants accused of murders committed in Washington. In the same year, a convicted prisoner in the US was executed by firing squad for the first time in 15 years. The person executed was 67-year-old Brad Sigmon, who had been convicted of killing the parents of his former girlfriend with a baseball bat in 2001. He chose execution by firing squad himself.