U.S. President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates, replacing their death penalties with life imprisonment without parole. This historic decision, announced Wednesday, spares inmates convicted of heinous crimes but excludes three high-profile cases involving acts of terrorism and hate crimes.
Biden emphasized his longstanding opposition to capital punishment, stating, “I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.” However, his measure does not extend to over 2,000 inmates sentenced to death under state jurisdictions.
The move comes just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, who aggressively resumed federal executions during his prior administration, prepares to take office in January.
Historic Shift in Federal Death Penalty Policy
Among those spared are individuals convicted of murder during bank robberies, killings of fellow prisoners, and the slaying of a prison guard. High-profile cases like disgraced former New Orleans police officer Len Davis, who orchestrated a woman’s murder while leading a drug ring, highlight the gravity of the crimes involved.
Despite the clemency, Biden maintained a firm stance against the crimes committed, saying, “Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for their victims, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss.”
The three inmates excluded from clemency include:
- Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the perpetrator of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
- Dylann Roof, a white supremacist who killed nine Black worshippers in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015.
- Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 Jewish congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018.
Federal Executions Under Biden and Trump
Biden’s presidency marked a sharp departure from Trump’s approach to federal executions. During Trump’s last six months in office, 13 inmates were executed, ending a 17-year hiatus on federal death penalties.
Trump, a proponent of expanding capital punishment, has pledged to increase its scope to include drug traffickers, human smugglers, and migrants convicted of killing U.S. citizens. Biden indirectly addressed this in his statement, asserting, “I cannot, in good conscience, stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.”
Notably, U.S. law prevents a president’s successor from reversing clemency decisions once granted.
Political and Public Reactions
The decision sparked immediate backlash from Republican leaders. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas criticized the move on social media, stating, “Democrats are the party of politically convenient justice. Once again, they side with depraved criminals over their victims, public order, and common decency.”
The commutations, however, align with a broader trend in the U.S. Twenty-three states have abolished the death penalty, while six others, including California and Pennsylvania, have implemented moratoriums.
Broader Implications of Clemency
This latest announcement comes on the heels of Biden commuting sentences for nearly 1,500 nonviolent offenders and pardoning 39 others earlier this month. Among the pardons was his son, Hunter Biden, marking an unprecedented instance of a sitting president pardoning a close family member.
Hunter Biden had faced charges for tax evasion and illegal gun possession earlier this year. Despite criticism, the Constitution grants the president broad authority to issue pardons and reprieves, with the sole exception of impeachment cases.
A Divided Nation on Capital Punishment
As of now, more than 2,250 state-level inmates remain on death row, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Since Biden took office, over 70 state executions have been carried out, underscoring the complex and often contentious debate surrounding the death penalty in America.
Biden’s decision underscores his commitment to reshaping federal sentencing policies, even as public and political opinions remain deeply divided. As the nation braces for a potential policy reversal under Trump, this decision cements Biden’s legacy as a staunch opponent of capital punishment.
©Informer365Team