US Capital Punishment Cases Surged in the Past Year to Peak in Over a Decade and a Half.

The count of executions in the United States has sharply risen in 2025, hitting a level not seen in 16 years. This surge is attributed to a concerted push to revive the death penalty, combined with a significant change in the approach of the US Supreme Court toward eleventh-hour pleas.

A Grim Tally: Nearly 50 Deaths in a Single Year

A total of 47 men—each one were male—were executed by states that utilize the death penalty in 2025. This number is nearly double the count from 2024, marking the most active period for executions in the United States since 2009.

"The evidence shows that the death penalty in 2025 is growing less popular with the public even as politicians carry out death sentences in search of waning political benefits."

A Global Outlier

This pronounced rise further separates the United States from most other advanced economies, very few of which still carry out executions. Currently, just Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan have carried out capital punishment among similarly developed states.

Contradictory Trends

The comeback of state killings clashes directly with broader patterns and current public sentiment. For years, the use of the death penalty had been in gradual decline. Meanwhile, surveys indicate approval of capital punishment for murder convictions has reached a half-century low, with just over half of respondents in favor. A majority of citizens under the age of 55 now are against it.

Presidential Influence

On his inauguration day back in office, the sitting President issued an presidential directive titled "Reinstating Capital Punishment." This order aimed to ensure that statutes permitting capital punishment were "upheld and properly enforced," signaling a major shift from the prior administration.

"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 activist against executions.

A Surge in State Executions

The federal push was echoed and amplified at the level of individual states. The state of Florida became a notable extreme case, carrying out 19 executions in 2025—a dramatic increase from just one the year before. This broke the state's prior annual record.

Alongside Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas, these four states were responsible for almost three-quarters of all executions this year. Overall, 12 states actively used their execution facilities, up from nine states in 2024.

Evolving Methods

As more executions occurred, some states adopted more controversial techniques. One state concluded a 15-year hiatus and became the second state to employ nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method. Observers reported the prisoner visibly shook for several minutes during the procedure.

Meanwhile, a different state carried out the initial use by a squad of shooters in the US since 2010, using this method for three of its total executions this year. Reports suggested that in an instance, imprecise aim may have prolonged suffering for the condemned.

The Supreme Court's Role

The surge in death sentences carried out is also connected to the posture of the US Supreme Court. The court's conservative majority denied every request to stay an execution in 2025, a notable demonstration of judicial disengagement.

This represents a shift from the court's traditional function as a final avenue for legal challenges based on innocence claims, rights-based arguments, or charges of excessive cruelty. "We’re now operating lacking a crucial backup," noted a law professor. "Federal courts are meant to act as a backstop, but that stop gap has been removed."