Sixteen years have passed since three executions took place on the same day in the US. However, this Thursday, three men convicted of murder in different states are scheduled to face execution.
The scheduled executions of Anthony Darrell Hines, 66, in Tennessee; Jeremy Williams, 41, in Alabama; and Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez, 71, in Oklahoma signify a notable increase in the number of executions across the nation.
In 2025, the number of people executed was over four times that of 2021, even as skepticism toward capital punishment continued to grow among juries and the American public.
What’s driving this increase, and do Americans support it?
The Impact of Trump
Former President Donald Trump has consistently supported the death penalty, viewing it as essential for deterring and punishing severe crimes against Americans.
During his initial term in 2020, he lifted a nearly two-decade moratorium on federal executions and carried out 13 executions over six months.
Although President Biden had reinstated the moratorium, Trump issued an executive order to reintroduce the death penalty on his first day of office in 2025. Nevertheless, no federal executions have occurred since that time. In the United States, both federal and state authorities have the power to authorize executions.
During Trump’s administration, execution protocols were expanded to incorporate methods such as firing squads and the resumption of lethal injections. Additionally, the Department of Justice declared its intention to streamline procedures in order to expedite death penalty cases.
Trump’s directive additionally encouraged states to pursue the death penalty for federal crimes that lead to the death of a law enforcement officer and instructed the attorney general to guarantee that states possess an adequate supply of drugs for carrying out lethal injections.
According to Justin Mazzola, deputy director for research at Amnesty International USA—an organization that opposes the death penalty—the real effects of these policies might not become apparent for several years. He pointed out the lengthy process and appeals associated with such cases.
BBC
