The count of state-sanctioned killings in the US has dramatically increased in 2025, hitting a rate not seen in 16 years. This sharp uptick is linked to a concerted push to revive judicial killings, coupled with a notable shift in the approach of the US Supreme Court toward eleventh-hour pleas.
Exactly 47 individuals—each one were male—were executed by states that utilize the death penalty this year. This figure represents nearly twice the total from the previous year, marking the most active period for capital punishment in the country since 2009.
"Data indicates that the death penalty in 2025 is increasingly unpopular with the public even as politicians schedule executions in search of waning political benefits."
This sharp increase further isolates the United States from most other developed nations, very few of which continue the practice. Currently, only Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan have carried out executions among similarly developed states.
The resurgence of executions stands in stark contrast with long-term trends and modern public opinion. Over the past two decades, the use of the death penalty had been in a steady decrease. Meanwhile, surveys indicate approval of capital punishment for those convicted of murder has fallen to a 50-year low, with 52% of Americans in favor. A majority of citizens under the age of 55 now oppose it.
On his first day back in office, the President issued an presidential directive titled "Restoring the Death Penalty." This order aimed to ensure that laws authorizing capital punishment were "upheld and properly enforced," signaling a major shift from the previous presidency.
"The tone is set, the national dialogue sent down from the top—you use violence and cruelty to solve social problems," remarked a prominent activist against executions.
The national initiative was echoed and amplified at the state level. Florida became a particular extreme case, conducting 19 executions in 2025—a staggering increase from just one the previous year. This shattered the state's previous record.
Together with several other southern states, these four states were responsible for almost three-quarters of all executions this year. In total, a dozen states employed their execution facilities, up from nine states in 2024.
As activity increased, some states adopted increasingly extreme techniques. Louisiana concluded a 15-year hiatus and followed another state's lead to employ nitrogen gas as an means of execution. Witnesses reported the condemned individual visibly shook for multiple minutes during the process.
In another development, South Carolina performed the initial use by a squad of shooters in the US since 2010, deploying this approach for three of its five executions this year. Reports suggested that in one case, faulty targeting may have caused extended agony for the condemned.
The surge in executions is also connected to the posture of the nation's highest court. The majority-conservative bench rejected all applications to halt an execution in 2025, a notable demonstration of reluctance to intervene.
This represents a shift from the court's traditional function as a final avenue for appeals based on innocence claims, constitutional arguments, or allegations of cruel punishment. "We’re now operating without a safety net," commented a law professor. "The judiciary are meant to act as a final check, but that stop gap has been eviscerated."
