U.S. Attorney General William Barr announced Thursday he has directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to adopt a proposed addendum to the federal execution protocol, which would clear the way for the federal government to resume capital punishment after a nearly two-decade lapse.

The news from Washington, D.C., might have a familiar ring to Superior Court Judge John Blawie, who five years ago handled the last death penalty case in the state before the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled capital punishment unconstitutional.