Electricity, Gas, and Lethal Injection: America Opens a New Door to the Death Penalty

U.S. Department of Justice Announces Expansion of Federal Death Penalty

The U.S. Department of Justice has announced that it seeks to expand the use of the death penalty in federal cases, introducing new methods of execution including firing squad, electric chair, and nitrogen gas inhalation, alongside currently used methods.

This move aims to broaden the tools for enforcing the ultimate penalty against crimes classified by the government as "the most serious."

Acting Attorney General's Statements and Support for the Death Penalty

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch stated that previous administrations "failed to protect Americans" by refusing to enforce the death penalty against the most dangerous criminals, including terrorists, child murderers, and police killers.

He added that the Department of Justice at this stage "will enforce the law again and stand by the victims," according to reports from the Associated Press.

Political Support from Donald Trump and Contrast with Biden's Policy

President Donald Trump supported the expansion of the death penalty and had ended a 17-year hiatus on federal executions during his first term.

During the last six months of his first term, 13 death sentences were carried out by lethal injection, the highest number in 120 years in the United States.

Trump also called on his first day of a second term to expand the application of the penalty to include "the most heinous crimes."

In contrast, former President Joe Biden took an opposing stance, having commuted the death sentences of 37 out of 40 federal inmates before leaving the White House in January 2025.

Differences in Death Penalty Application Between Federal Government and States

The death penalty in the United States is typically carried out at the state level, while the federal government can apply it in specific crimes.

Currently:

• 5 states allow execution by firing squad, and this method has only recently been used in South Carolina.
• 9 states permit the electric chair, but it has not been used since 2020.
• Two states have executed sentences using nitrogen gas, which causes asphyxiation through a special mask.

Nitrogen Gas Sparks International Human Rights Controversy

The use of nitrogen gas in executions has drawn widespread criticism, with United Nations experts condemning this method as cruel and inhumane.

This method is carried out by pumping gas into a mask placed on the condemned person's face, leading to a gradual loss of oxygen.

The Current State of the Death Penalty in the United States

Data indicates that:

• The death penalty has been abolished in 23 states out of 50.
• There are 3 states (California, Oregon, Pennsylvania) that have a temporary moratorium on its implementation.

This disparity reflects the ongoing political and legal debate over the future of the penalty in the United States between expansion and abolition.