Justice Department halts federal executions, after they resumed under Trump

Attorney General Merrick Garland.
(Image credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Thursday night that the Justice Department is halting federal executions and he has ordered a thorough review of protocols put into place during the Trump administration.

"The Department of Justice must ensure that everyone in the federal criminal justice system is not only afforded the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States, but is also treated fairly and humanely," Garland said. "That obligation has special force in capital cases."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.