Biden commutes sentences of 37 of 40 federal death row inmates to life in prison without possibility of parole
President Biden grants clemency to 37 of 40 people federal inmates facing death penalty. Their sentences will be reduced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The three inmates who were not granted clemency were the convicted shooter in the Tree of Life synagogue shooting, the shooter at Our Lady Emanuel Church in Charleston and the surviving Boston Marathon bomber.
Although the president’s power to commute sentences and pardon is broad, constitutional, and irreversible, the announcement is sure to spark partisan debate.
The Department of Justice imposed a moratorium on executions in 2021 to review policies and procedures.
President-elect Trump has said he will resume executions and may try to expand the crimes eligible for the death penalty.
Biden seemed to hint at Trump’s intentions in his statement announcing the commutation, saying: “I cannot in good conscience stand by and let the new administration resume the executions I stopped.”
He also said, “These commutations are consistent with my administration’s moratorium on federal executions, except for terrorism and hate-motivated mass murders.
“Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and feel pain for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable losses.
“But guided by my conscience and my experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, vice president and now president, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.”
contributed to this report.
