Trump Ends Federal Death Penalty Moratorium

President Trump’s executive order criticizes his predecessor, Joe Biden, for alleged non-compliance with federal law.

President Trump has rescinded the moratorium on federal executions implemented by President Biden in 2021. This executive order, issued shortly after Trump’s inauguration, directs Acting Attorney General James McHenry to pursue federal capital punishment for individuals convicted of murdering law enforcement officers and for illegal immigrants convicted of capital crimes.

Trump’s first term saw 13 federal executions, exceeding any other modern president. During his campaign, he frequently advocated for the death penalty for drug dealers.

The order mandates that the attorney general “seek the death penalty for all crimes warranting its use.” The federal government will also “ensure states with capital punishment have sufficient lethal injection drugs.” Further, the Trump administration will strive to “overturn Supreme Court rulings restricting state and federal capital punishment authority.”

A significant portion of the order criticizes Biden and others opposing capital punishment, accusing them of “defying and undermining the nation’s laws” based on personal beliefs.

Trump directly criticizes Biden’s 2021 moratorium on federal executions, asserting it was a failure to “faithfully enforce US laws.”

He also condemns Biden’s recent commutation of the sentences of 37 death row inmates, referring to them as “the most vile and sadistic rapists, child molesters, and murderers on Federal death row,” to life imprisonment without parole.

Trump instructs the attorney general to ensure these individuals are “imprisoned in conditions befitting their crimes” and to explore potential state capital charges.

Following Biden’s actions, only three inmates remain on federal death row.