Particle.news
Download on the App Store

U.S. Executions Reach 16-Year High of 47 in 2025

Federal direction plus high-court denials of last-minute stays fueled a sharp reversal after years of decline.

Overview

  • States carried out 47 executions this year, the most since 2009 and nearly double the 2024 total.
  • President Donald Trump signed a January 20 executive order to restore the death penalty, and the Justice Department authorized more than 20 new federal capital prosecutions.
  • Florida conducted 19 executions, and with Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas accounted for nearly three-quarters of the year’s total.
  • Twelve states carried out executions, up from nine in 2024, with Louisiana resuming after a 15-year pause.
  • The Supreme Court rejected every request to stay an execution in 2025, while South Carolina used firing squads and Louisiana and Alabama pursued nitrogen hypoxia.