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Attorney General Merrick Garland Orders Moratorium On Federal Executions
The Justice Department will review its policies and procedures related to capital cases during this pause.
Attorney General Merrick Garland ordered a moratorium on federal executions on Thursday ―
citing “serious concerns” about the continued use of the death penalty in the U.S., including the “arbitrariness in its application, disparate impact on people of color, and the troubling number of exonerations in capital and other serious cases.”
“Those weighty concerns deserve careful study and evaluation by lawmakers,” Garland said in a memorandum to senior officials, adding that no further federal executions would be scheduled while the Justice Department reviews its “policies and procedures” related to capital cases.