Death Penalty in Texas

As of October 2026, Texas remains one of the 27 U.S. states that retain the death penalty in law. Texas authorizes lethal injection as its execution method.

Current legal status

The death penalty remains part of Texas law. That does not necessarily mean executions occur regularly: capital punishment in the United States varies sharply by state because death sentences, appeals, clemency, execution warrants, drug availability, court orders and executive policy can all affect whether a sentence is carried out.

Authorized execution methods

This state page is therefore linked to the broader Execution Methods in the United States archive rather than repeating technical protocol details that can change over time.

Death row, prisons and execution sites

Execution facilities: Huntsville Unit, Allan B. Polunsky Unit.

Landmark cases: Panetti v. Quarterman.

Constitutional framework

Why this page exists

Sources

– Death Penalty Information Center — Texas state profile. – Death Penalty Information Center — Authorized Methods by State.

Death-row exonerations

– Kerry Max Cook — convicted 1978, exonerated 2024 (Appellate acquittal / actual-innocence ruling). – Alfred Dewayne Brown — convicted 2005, exonerated 2015 (Charges dismissed; later actual-innocence finding). – Anthony Graves — convicted 1994, exonerated 2010 (Charges dismissed).

These cases connect the state archive to the broader Death Row Exonerations in the United States hub.