AG Barr Reinstates Federal Death Penalty, Immediately Schedules 5 Executions

Chuck Ross

Society,

“Additional executions will be scheduled at a later date,” the DOJ said.

Attorney General William Barr on Thursday reinstated the federal death penalty, which lapsed 20 years ago, and immediately scheduled executions for five federal death row inmates convicted of murdering children and the elderly, while promising more to come.

According to a Justice Department announcement, Barr directed Hugh Hurwitz, the acting director of the Bureau of Prisons, to adopt the revision to the Federal Execution Protocol, a maneuver that “[clears] the way for the federal government to resume capital punishment after a nearly two decade lapse, and bringing justice to victims of the most horrific crimes.”

Barr also directed Hurwitz to schedule executions for five death-row inmates at a federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana in December 2019 and January 2020.

“Congress has expressly authorized the death penalty through legislation adopted by the people’s representatives in both houses of Congress and signed by the President,” Barr said in a statement.

“Under Administrations of both parties, the Department of Justice has sought the death penalty against the worst criminals, including these five murderers, each of whom was convicted by a jury of his peers after a full and fair proceeding. The Justice Department upholds the rule of law—and we owe it to the victims and their families to carry forward the sentence imposed by our justice system.”

The Justice Department identified the five inmates scheduled for execution:

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