The Department of Justice said on Friday it is bringing back firing squads and readopting lethal injection in an effort to strengthen the federal death penalty.
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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has authorized seeking death sentences against nine people after the Justice Department rescinded a Biden-era moratorium on federal executions, the department said.
“Among the actions taken are readopting the lethal injection protocol utilized during the first Trump Administration, expanding the protocol to include additional manners of execution such as the firing squad, and streamlining internal processes to expedite death penalty cases,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
“These steps are critical to deterring the most barbaric crimes, delivering justice for victims, and providing long-overdue closure to surviving loved ones,” it said.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Justice is once again enforcing the law and standing with victims,” Blanche said.
President Donald Trump restarted federal executions during his first term in office from 2017 to 2021 after a nearly 20-year pause.
