On Thursday, three inmates — Anthony Darrell Hines (66) in Tennessee, Jeremy Williams (41) in Alabama and Carlos Cuesta‑Rodriguez (71) in Oklahoma — are scheduled for execution by lethal injection. Their deaths would mark the first trio of same‑day executions in a single U.S. state since 2009, signalling an alarming rise in capital punishment cases, particularly from Florida which accounts for roughly 40% of all executions.

The four‑year increase in death sentences issued by juries — from over 300 a year in the 1990s to just 23 in 2025 — mirrors the general decline in public acceptance of capital punishment, with a Gallup poll showing only 52% of Americans finding it morally acceptable.

Former President Donald Trump’s 2020‑2025 executive orders expanded federal protocols and encouraged states to mandate death penalties for law enforcement killings, while a 2025 South Carolina firing‑squad execution highlighted shortages of lethal‑injection drugs.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s changes to jury requirements and inclusion of new capital offences illustrate how state politics drive execution rates. Critics argue that the risk of botched executions — a 3% rate historically with lethal injection — is still high, as seen in the recent failed attempt on Tony Von Carruthers.

The ethical debate remains amid legal challenges: the U.S. Supreme Court recently denied Alabama’s request to carry out a nitrogen‑gas execution, while the federal government has shifted to a firmer stance on lethal‑injection supplies.

Reprieve US CEO Maya Foa notes the lack of political leverage to stop the executions, saying the decisions “are not a cheap easy political fix.”

The forthcoming executions are still uncertain; Governor Bill Lee has granted a reprieve to Tennessee’s Tony Von Carruthers and questions of IV access and procedural safety loomed for Hines. Meanwhile, Alabama’s Jeremy Williams – who volunteered for execution – faces the question of whether the state’s lethal‑injection process can mitigate risk for his 71‑year‑old co‑inmate.

For further detail, explore an interactive data visualisation of U.S. executions this year: