American Capital Punishment Cases Surged in the Past Year to Peak in 16 Years.

The count of state-sanctioned killings in the US has dramatically increased in 2025, reaching a level not seen in 16 years. This surge is attributed to a focused campaign to revive judicial killings, combined with a significant change in the approach of the US Supreme Court toward eleventh-hour pleas.

A Sobering Count: Nearly 50 Deaths in a Single Year

Exactly 47 men—each one were male—were executed by states maintaining the death penalty this year. This number represents nearly double the total from 2024, constituting the most active period for capital punishment in the United States in 16 years.

"Data indicates that the death penalty in 2025 is increasingly unpopular with the American people even as politicians schedule executions in search of diminishing political benefits."

A Global Outlier

This pronounced rise further isolates the United States from nearly all other advanced economies, almost none of which continue the practice. Currently, just a handful of Asian nations have carried out capital punishment among peer countries.

A Public Opinion Divide

The resurgence of state killings 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 approval of capital punishment for murder convictions has fallen to a 50-year low, with 52% of Americans in favor. Most of adults under the age of 55 now oppose it.

Presidential Influence

On his first day back in office, the President issued an executive order titled "Restoring the Death Penalty." This order aimed to ensure that laws authorizing capital punishment were "upheld and properly enforced," signaling a major shift 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 well-known activist against executions.

A Surge in State Executions

The national initiative was echoed and amplified at the level of individual states. Florida became a notable extreme case, carrying out 19 executions in 2025—a staggering increase from just one the previous year. This shattered the state's previous record.

Together with Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas, these four states were the source of almost 75% of all executions this year. Overall, a dozen states employed their execution facilities, up from nine in 2024.

Evolving Methods

As more executions occurred, some states turned to more controversial methods. One state ended 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 procedure.

In another development, a different state 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 one case, imprecise aim may have prolonged suffering for the individual.

The Supreme Court's Role

The increase in executions is also connected to the position of the US Supreme Court. The court's conservative majority rejected all applications to halt 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 without a safety net," noted a law professor. "The judiciary are meant to act as a final check, but that stop gap has been eviscerated."