politics
DOJ reinstates firing squads, pentobarbital for federal executions
Updated on: April 24, 2026 / 7:59 PM EDT / CBS News
TL;DR
- The Justice Department is reimplementing lethal injection and firing squads for federal executions.
- These measures aim to strengthen the federal death penalty, deter crime, and provide justice for victims.
- This action reverses the moratorium on federal executions implemented by President Biden.
- The department criticizes the Biden administration for weakening the death penalty.
- The use of pentobarbital for executions is considered not a violation of the Eighth Amendment by the current Justice Department.