The Department of Justice on Friday published a final rule change that would allow federal executions to be carried out in any manner allowed in the state where the death sentence was imposed (article available here).
This rule could reintroduce firing squads and electrocutions for federal executions, giving the government more options for administering capital punishment as drugs used in lethal injections become unavailable. The Justice Department surfaced the proposal in August and accepted public comments for only 30 days, instead of the usual 60.
Last week, the Justice Department executed 49-year-old Orlando Hall. Eight inmates executed by the federal government since July were killed by lethal injection. The administration plans on killing five more people before January 20.
Utah allows execution by firing squad and Tennessee by electric chair. Alabama, Mississippi, and Oklahoma permit execution by nitrogen gas.