Garland imposes a federal execution moratorium while DOJ review is pending

Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a moratorium on federal executions and ordered a review of the Justice Department's execution protocols and the broader use of capital punishment at the federal level. The moratorium followed 13 federal executions carried out by the Trump administration in its final six months — the largest burst of federal executions in over a century. Garland's review directed DOJ to examine whether execution protocols adequately protect against pain and the risk of executing innocent people.