The number of state-sanctioned killings in the US has sharply risen in 2025, hitting a rate not seen in 16 years. This sharp uptick is linked to a concerted push to reinvigorate judicial killings, coupled with a significant change in the approach of the nation's highest court toward last-minute appeals.
A Sobering Count: Nearly 50 Deaths in a Single Year
Exactly 47 individuals—all of whom were male—were put to death by individual states that utilize the death penalty in 2025. This figure is nearly double 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 growing less popular with the American people even as politicians schedule executions in search of waning political benefits."
An International Exception
This pronounced rise further separates the US from most other developed nations, very few of which continue the practice. In recent years, only a handful of Asian nations have carried out capital punishment among similarly developed states.
Contradictory Trends
The comeback of state killings stands in stark contrast with broader patterns and current public sentiment. Over the past two decades, the use of the death penalty had been in gradual decline. Meanwhile, polling indicate approval of capital punishment for murder convictions has fallen to a 50-year low, with just over half of respondents in favor. Most of citizens under the age of 55 now are against it.
Presidential Influence
On his first day back in office, the President issued an presidential directive titled "Reinstating Capital Punishment." This order sought to ensure that laws authorizing capital punishment were "respected and faithfully implemented," marking a clear change from the prior administration.
"The tone is set, the national dialogue sent down from the top—you use violence and cruelty to solve social problems," stated a prominent anti-death penalty advocate.
State-Level Frenzy
The national initiative was mirrored and amplified at the level of individual states. Florida became a particular extreme case, conducting 19 executions in 2025—a staggering 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 responsible for almost 75% of all executions this year. In total, 12 states actively used their death chambers, up from nine states in 2024.
More Extreme Execution Protocols
As activity increased, some states turned to increasingly extreme methods. One state ended a 15-year hiatus and followed another state's lead to use nitrogen hypoxia as an means of execution. Witnesses reported the condemned individual visibly shook for several minutes during the procedure.
In another development, South Carolina carried out the initial use by firing squad in the US since 2010, using this method for three of its five executions this year. Accounts suggested that in an instance, imprecise aim may have caused extended agony for the individual.
The Supreme Court's Role
The surge in executions is also connected to the posture of the US Supreme Court. The court's conservative majority rejected all applications to stay an execution in 2025, a rare display of reluctance to intervene.
This represents a shift from the court's traditional function as a final avenue for appeals based on claims of innocence, rights-based arguments, or charges of excessive cruelty. "We’re now operating lacking a crucial backup," noted a law professor. "The judiciary are meant to act as a final check, but that stop gap has been removed."
