The U.S. has not held a public execution since the 19th century. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's announcement that Nidal Hasan's military execution would be livestreamed drew immediate criticism — not just from Democrats, but from Republican members of Congress who called it a spectacle that demeans the military justice system and risks exploiting the families of the 13 people killed at Fort Hood in 2009.
Crime
Legal
Policy
Dissent
The timeline spans from the November 2009 Fort Hood attack through the July 2025 announcement of a livestream plan — a 15-year arc in which a military capital case became the center of a constitutional and political controversy over the limits of Defense Department authority.
Key Statutory Provision
Under Article 71 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, a military death sentence requires the formal approval of the President of the United States before it can be carried out. The UCMJ contains no provision authorizing public broadcast or livestreaming of executions.