U.S. Justice Department resumes use of the death penalty, schedules five executions

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department announced on Thursday it was reinstating a two-decades long dormant policy to resume the federal government's use of capital punishment and immediately scheduled the executions for five death row federal inmates.

"Congress has expressly authorised the death penalty through legislation adopted by the people’s representatives in both houses of Congress and signed by the President," Attorney General William Barr said in a statement.