The United States executed 47 people in 2025, marking the highest annual execution total since 2009, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. The surge came as the Supreme Court denied every request to postpone executions that came before it during the year, most without any noted disagreement among the justices.
The executions took place across 11 states, representing a dramatic increase from recent years when the death penalty had been in decline. Several factors contributed to the surge, including the Trump administration's renewed embrace of capital punishment and a marked increase in executions in Florida, which carried out 19 executions in 2025 compared to just one in 2024.
The Supreme Court played a central role in enabling the execution surge by maintaining an unbroken streak of denying emergency stay applications throughout 2025. Of the 47 people executed, 34 filed emergency stay applications with the high court days or weeks before their scheduled execution dates. These applications typically request postponements so defendants can continue challenging their convictions or death sentences, giving the justices more time to consider their petitions for review.
While such emergency applications are rarely granted by the court, which typically avoids intervening in capital cases at the last minute, the court's complete rejection rate in 2025 stood out for its consistency. According to SCOTUSblog's database of capital cases, only six of the court's orders disposing of emergency stay applications acknowledged any disagreement between the justices.
In four of those cases where disagreement was noted, some or all of the justices who would have granted a stay did not explain their reasoning. The noted disagreement typically came from the court's liberal wing, with Justice Neil Gorsuch being the only Republican appointee to publicly disagree with the court's refusal to delay an execution during 2025.
Gorsuch's dissent came in *Hoffman v. Westcott*, a case involving Jessie Hoffman, who was sentenced to death in Louisiana after being convicted of rape and murder of Mary Elliott. Hoffman challenged the state's plan to execute him using nitrogen hypoxia under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
Florida led the nation in executions during 2025, dramatically increasing from six executions in 2023 and one in 2024 to 19 last year. This surge contributed significantly to the national total and reflected the state's renewed commitment to carrying out death sentences after years of relative inactivity.
The increase in executions also resulted from the end of death penalty moratoriums in several states. Arizona, for example, had paused executions for years while reassessing the procedures and methods used to carry them out. The resumption of executions in such states added to the national total.
The Trump administration's approach to capital punishment represented a shift from previous policies and contributed to the overall increase in executions. This policy stance influenced both federal executions and created an environment more supportive of state-level death penalty enforcement.
The 2025 execution total of 47 represents the highest since 2009, when 52 people were executed. The death penalty had been in decline in recent years, with fewer states carrying out executions and some implementing moratoriums while reviewing their capital punishment procedures.
The Supreme Court's role in capital cases typically involves reviewing emergency stay applications filed just before scheduled executions. These last-minute appeals often raise claims about ineffective counsel, prosecutorial misconduct, or challenges to execution methods. The court generally takes a restrictive approach to such applications, requiring compelling circumstances to intervene.
The near-unanimous nature of the court's denials in 2025 suggests a particularly high bar for granting stays of execution. The lack of written dissents in most cases indicates that even justices who might have concerns about particular cases chose not to express those concerns publicly.
Looking ahead, the trajectory of executions in the coming year will likely depend on several factors, including state policies, the availability of execution drugs, and continued legal challenges to death penalty procedures. The Supreme Court's approach to emergency applications will remain a critical factor in determining whether scheduled executions proceed.
The 2025 execution surge marks a notable reversal of the declining trend in capital punishment that had characterized recent years. With the Supreme Court consistently declining to intervene in pending executions, states appeared emboldened to move forward with carrying out death sentences that had been delayed for various reasons.
The combination of policy changes, procedural reforms in key states, and the Supreme Court's hands-off approach created conditions that enabled the highest execution total in over a decade. This development represents a significant shift in the nation's approach to capital punishment after years of decline and uncertainty surrounding the death penalty's future.