President Trump issued a sweeping order on Monday signaling his intent to restart federal executions and broaden the application of the death penalty. The order directs the attorney general to ensure adequate supplies of lethal injection drugs for states and to actively pursue federal death penalty cases, even challenging Supreme Court precedents that limit its use.
President Donald Trump signed a significant order on Monday concerning the death penalty , directing the attorney general to take all necessary lawful actions to ensure states have ample lethal injection drugs for executions. This order, issued shortly after Trump's return to the White House, mandates the Justice Department not only to pursue the death penalty in appropriate federal cases but also to assist states grappling with maintaining adequate supplies of lethal injection drugs.
Trump's move had been anticipated, as he was expected to resume federal executions, which had been suspended since 2021 when former Attorney General Merrick Garland imposed a moratorium. Currently, only three individuals remain on federal death row. President Biden recently commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life in prison.Trump's order compels the attorney general to seek federal jurisdiction and pursue the death penalty 'regardless of other factors' in cases involving the killing of a law enforcement officer or capital crimes committed by someone illegally present in the country. Furthermore, he instructs the attorney general to challenge Supreme Court precedents that 'limit the authority of State and Federal governments to impose capital punishment.' The order states, 'The Government’s most solemn responsibility is to protect its citizens from abhorrent acts, and my Administration will not tolerate efforts to stymie and eviscerate the laws that authorize capital punishment against those who commit horrible acts of violence against American citizens.'During his first term, Trump's administration carried out 13 federal executions, surpassing any president in recent history. He has repeatedly expressed his stance on expanding executions. In his 2024 presidential campaign announcement, Trump advocated for the death penalty for individuals 'caught selling drugs' and vowed to execute drug and human smugglers. He even commended China's stricter penalties for drug traffickers. This order follows closely on the heels of Garland's withdrawal of the Justice Department's protocol for federal executions that allowed for single-drug lethal injections with pentobarbital. This decision came after a government review raised concerns about the potential for 'unnecessary pain and suffering.' Acting Attorney General James McHenry III or Trump's nominee for Attorney General, Pam Bondi, could reinstate this protocol once confirmed by the Senate. The pentobarbital protocol, established by Attorney General Bill Barr during Trump's first term, aimed to replace the three-drug combination used in the 2000s, the last time federal executions were conducted before Trump took office.
DONALD TRUMP DEATH PENALTY FEDERAL EXECUTIONS JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SUPREME COURT
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