No federal executions since 2003

8 excecutions so far this year

Before this year, no federal execution had taken place since 2003. However, in July, Attorney General William Barr, at the behest of President Donald Trump, resumed federal executions.

Since then, eight people have been executed.

Before Trump leaves office next month, five more death row inmates are set to be executed. Four of the five are African Americans. If the remaining executions move forward as planned, Trump will leave office with the distinct legacy of being the most lethally prolific president (in terms of federal executions) in more than 130 years.

While many have surmised that the current pandemic’s death toll could have been lessened if more effective and swifter action had been taken by this president and his administration, those numbers can only be estimated.

Conversely, Trump and Barr have executed about 25% of all death row prisoners and, according to a recent interview with the Associated Press, the Attorney General has not only defended the pace of execution but pledged to do more before he leaves the Justice Department