Citing “serious concerns” about the arbitrary nature of capital punishment and its particular impact on people of color, Attorney General Merrick Garland has ordered a temporary stop to scheduling federal executions. Garland expanded further on his decision in a memo to DOJ officials.

“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.”