Court rulings or official legal announcements

Biden Commutes 37 Federal Death Row Sentences to Block Trump's Executions

Dec 23, 2024, 10:03 AM

President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 inmates on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Citing moral and policy objections to capital punishment, Biden's decision aims to prevent President-elect Donald Trump from resuming federal executions halted during the current administration. Death penalty opponents and advocacy groups, including Pope Francis, had urged Biden to take this step. The commutation excludes three high-profile cases: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bomber; Dylann Roof, the perpetrator of the Charleston church shooting; and Robert Bowers, the Tree of Life synagogue shooter. These individuals remain on death row. By commuting the sentences, Biden seeks to solidify his administration's stance against capital punishment and preempt a potential resurgence of federal executions under the incoming administration.