American Capital Punishment Cases Skyrocketed in 2025 to Highest Level in Over a Decade and a Half.
The number of executions in the US has dramatically increased in 2025, reaching a level not seen in since 2009. This sharp uptick is linked to a focused campaign to reinvigorate the death penalty, coupled with a notable shift in the approach of the US Supreme Court toward eleventh-hour pleas.
A Grim Tally: Nearly 50 Deaths in a Single Year
A total of 47 individuals—all of whom were male—were executed by individual states that utilize the death penalty in 2025. This figure represents nearly double the total from the previous year, marking the most active period for executions in the country since 2009.
"The evidence shows that the death penalty in 2025 is growing less popular with the public even as politicians carry out death sentences in search of waning political benefits."
An International Exception
This sharp increase further isolates the US from most other advanced economies, almost none of which still carry out executions. Currently, just Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan have carried out capital punishment among peer countries.
A Public Opinion Divide
The comeback of state killings stands in stark contrast with broader patterns and modern public opinion. Over the past two decades, the use of the death penalty had been in gradual decline. At the same time, polling indicate approval of capital punishment for those convicted of murder has fallen to a 50-year low, with just over half of Americans in favor. Most of citizens under the age of 55 now oppose it.
Presidential Influence
On his inauguration day back in office, the President issued an presidential directive titled "Restoring the Death Penalty." This order sought to ensure that statutes permitting capital punishment were "respected and faithfully implemented," marking a clear change from the prior administration.
"It’s in the air, it’s in the national rhetoric sent down from the top—the idea is to use harsh measures to solve social problems," stated a prominent anti-death penalty advocate.
A Surge in State Executions
The national initiative was mirrored and amplified at the level of individual states. The state of Florida became a notable outlier, conducting 19 executions in 2025—a dramatic increase from just one the year before. This broke the state's previous record.
Together with several other southern states, these a quartet of jurisdictions were the source of almost 75% of all executions this year. Overall, 12 states actively used their death chambers, up from nine states in 2024.
More Extreme Execution Protocols
As activity increased, some states turned to more controversial techniques. Louisiana concluded a 15-year hiatus and followed another state's lead to employ nitrogen hypoxia as an means of execution. Witnesses reported the prisoner visibly shook for several minutes during the process.
In another development, a different state carried out the initial use by firing squad in the US since 2010, using this method for three of its total executions this year. Reports suggested that in an instance, faulty targeting may have prolonged suffering for the individual.
A Changed Judicial Landscape
The increase in death sentences carried out is also linked to the position of the US Supreme Court. The court's conservative majority denied every request to halt an execution in 2025, a rare display of judicial disengagement.
This represents a shift from the court's historical role as a last resort for appeals based on claims of innocence, rights-based arguments, or allegations of cruel punishment. "The system now functions without a safety net," noted a legal scholar. "The judiciary are meant to act as a backstop, but that safeguard has been eviscerated."