Biden Commutes Sentences of 37 Death Row Inmates to Life Without Parole, Blocking Trump's Execution Plans

Dec 23, 2024, 06:22 PM

President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, stating his conviction that the United States must end the use of the death penalty at the federal level. The move, announced just days before Christmas and before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, prevents Trump from executing these inmates as he plans to resume federal executions. The commuted inmates include child killers and mass murderers. The three inmates who remain on death row include Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Robert Bowers, and Dylann Roof, who were convicted of terrorism and hate crimes. Trump's team criticized Biden's decision, calling it 'abhorrent' and 'a slap in the face' to victims' families.