American Capital Punishment Cases Surged in 2025 to Highest Level in Over a Decade and a Half.

The number of state-sanctioned killings in the US has sharply risen in 2025, reaching a level not seen in since 2009. This sharp uptick is linked to a focused campaign to revive the death penalty, coupled with a significant change in the approach of the US Supreme Court toward last-minute appeals.

A Grim Tally: Nearly 50 Deaths in a Single Year

A total of 47 individuals—all of whom were male—were put to death by states maintaining the death penalty this year. This number is nearly double the total from the previous year, constituting the highest annual total for executions in the United States since 2009.

"The evidence shows that the death penalty in 2025 is increasingly unpopular with the American people even as politicians schedule executions in search of waning political benefits."

An International Exception

This sharp increase further isolates the United States from nearly all other developed nations, almost none of which still carry out executions. In recent years, just a handful of Asian nations have carried out capital punishment among similarly developed states.

A Public Opinion Divide

The comeback of executions stands in stark contrast with long-term trends and modern public opinion. For years, the use of the death penalty had been in a steady decrease. Meanwhile, surveys indicate support for capital punishment for murder convictions has fallen to a 50-year low, with just over half of Americans in favor. A majority of citizens under the age of 55 now oppose it.

Executive Action Sets the Tone

On his first day back in office, the President issued an executive order titled "Reinstating Capital Punishment." This order aimed to guarantee that statutes permitting capital punishment were "upheld and properly enforced," marking a clear change from the previous presidency.

"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," remarked a well-known anti-death penalty advocate.

State-Level Frenzy

The federal push was mirrored and amplified at the level of individual states. Florida emerged as a particular extreme case, carrying out 19 executions in 2025—a staggering increase from just one the year before. This broke the state's previous record.

Alongside Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas, these four states were responsible for almost 75% of all executions this year. Overall, a dozen states actively used their death chambers, up from nine states in 2024.

More Extreme Execution Protocols

As more executions occurred, some states turned to more controversial techniques. One state concluded a 15-year hiatus and became the second state to use nitrogen gas as an execution method. Witnesses reported the condemned individual convulsed for multiple minutes during the process.

In another development, South Carolina carried out the first execution by firing squad in the US since 2010, deploying this approach for three of its five executions this year. Accounts suggested that in an instance, imprecise aim may have prolonged suffering for the condemned.

The Supreme Court's Role

The increase in executions is also connected to the posture of the nation's highest court. The majority-conservative bench denied every request to halt an execution in 2025, a notable demonstration of judicial disengagement.

This represents a shift from the court's historical role as a last resort for legal challenges based on claims of innocence, rights-based arguments, or charges of excessive cruelty. "We’re now operating lacking a crucial backup," noted a legal scholar. "Federal courts are supposed to serve as a backstop, but that stop gap has been removed."