President Biden commutes federal death row sentences to halt future executions

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President Joe Biden announced on Monday that he would commute the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates, converting them to life in prison without parole, in an effort to prevent the incoming administration from carrying out executions. The decision is consistent with his administration's moratorium on federal executions and prevents President-elect Donald Trump from resuming the practice after taking office. “I cannot in good conscience stand by and let the new administration resume the executions that I have paused,” Biden said in commuting sentences that affect nearly all federal death row inmates but exclude individuals convicted of terrorism and hate-motivated mass shootings. Notable exceptions include: • Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, for the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings that killed three people and injured more than 260 others. • Robert Bowers, responsible for the 2018 shooting at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue that left 11 people dead. • Dylann Roof, who murdered nine black parishioners at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015. The 37 people who received reduced sentences will now be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Biden's decision to commute the sentence comes as the United States prepares for a presidential transition. The Trump administration resumed federal executions in 2020 after a 17-year pause, carrying out 13 executions in six months. By commuting the sentences, Biden ensures that executions of these prisoners cannot resume under the incoming administration. Like this: Like Loading… Subscribe to learn more from Baller Alert and get the latest posts delivered to your email.

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