Final answer:
The majority of states with the death penalty and the federal government authorize lethal injection as the primary method of execution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The majority of states with the death penalty and the federal government currently authorize lethal injection as the sole method of execution.
While there has been a decline in support for the death penalty due to a decrease in violent crime and revelations of wrongful executions through DNA evidence, it remains a legal punishment in several states.
California has the largest number of inmates on death row, but it rarely carries out executions due to legal challenges. States in the former Confederacy, particularly Texas, account for a majority of US executions since 1976.
Recent Supreme Court rulings have narrowed the application of the death penalty, prohibiting its use on those with intellectual disabilities, individuals who were minors at the time of their crime, and for crimes not involving death.
Despite a significant drop in the number of executions, the United States still ranks among the top ten countries in terms of execution rates. The Trump administration resumed federal executions in 2020 after a nearly two-decade hiatus, showing a temporary increase.