President Joe Biden announced on Monday that he will commute the sentences of 37 individuals on federal death row to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. This decision leaves only three federal prisoners facing execution once President-elect Donald Trump assumes office next month.
Biden clarified that the three individuals not included in the commutation are Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, Dylann Roof, who committed a mass shooting in a Charleston church in 2015, and Robert Bowers, the perpetrator of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in 2018. The President stated that these commutations are in line with the moratorium on federal executions put in place by his administration, except in cases of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.
The majority of those granted commutations were convicted of less high-profile crimes, such as murders related to drug trafficking or violence within prisons. Biden expressed his condemnation of these acts and empathy for the victims and their families, but emphasized his belief, based on his experiences as a public defender, Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, Vice President, and now President, that the federal death penalty should be abolished.
The President’s decision comes as advocates against the death penalty prepare for Trump’s return to the White House. During his 2024 campaign, Trump hinted at resuming federal executions and broadening the scope of crimes eligible for capital punishment under federal law. Biden also recently granted clemency to around 1,500 individuals in what is considered the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history.
Supporters of Biden, including Senator Chris Coons, had urged the President to review federal death penalty sentences on a case-by-case basis. Organizations like the ACLU have been advocating for the commutation of death row sentences, emphasizing the racial and systemic injustices inherent in the federal death penalty system. Biden’s decision to commute these sentences aligns with his pledge to address these issues and fulfill promises made during his campaign.
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