Barr had resumed DOJ's use of capital punishment against inmates after a lapse.
July 1, 2021, 11:11 PM
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Share to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleAttorney General Merrick Garland has ordered a temporary halt to the Justice Department advocating any scheduling of further executions of federal inmates, a DOJ official told ABC News.
The new directive comes after Garland's predecessor in the job, Attorney General William Barr, had resumed the department's use of capital punishment against inmates after a nearly two-decade lapse and pushed for executions of several federal prisoners during the transition period before President Joe Biden -- who opposes the death penalty -- took office.
The directive, however, is not expected to impact the department's position taken recently in the case of Boston bomber Dzokhar Tsarnaev, a person familiar with the matter told ABC News. Officials last month urged the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court's ruling and reinstate Tsarnaev's death penalty despite Biden's stated opposition to capital punishment.
This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.
