President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates on Monday, a decision he attributed to his conscience. He chose not to commute the sentences of three individuals convicted of hate-motivated mass shootings and terrorism. These included Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (Boston Marathon bombing), Dylann Roof (Charleston church shooting), and Robert Bowers (Tree of Life synagogue shooting). The commutations changed the death sentences to life imprisonment without parole.
In a statement, Biden emphasized his lifelong commitment to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair justice system. He acknowledged the heinous nature of the crimes and expressed sympathy for the victims and their families. However, he stated that his conscience and experience—as a public defender, Senator, Vice President, and President—led him to believe the federal death penalty should be abolished. He explicitly stated his refusal to allow a future administration to resume federal executions that he had halted.
The president’s actions followed his December 12th commutation of sentences for 1,500 individuals in home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic and the granting of pardons to 39 individuals convicted of nonviolent crimes. This latest decision, however, drew criticism, particularly from Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, for including a Pennsylvania judge convicted in the “Cash for Kids” scheme—a bribery scandal involving sending children to prison for kickbacks.
Advocates for abolishing the death penalty and some House Democrats had urged Biden to commute the sentences before President-elect Donald Trump’s anticipated return to office, given Trump’s acceleration of federal executions during his previous term. Trump’s transition spokesman, Steven Cheung, strongly condemned Biden’s decision, calling it “abhorrent” and a betrayal of victims and their families. He asserted that Trump’s return to the presidency would restore the “rule of law.”
The White House released a list of the 37 inmates whose sentences were commuted. *(The list of names is omitted here for brevity, but was included in the original text.)*
(The remainder of the text pertains to publication information and is not included in this rewritten version.)