President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of 37 out of 40 federal death row inmates, changing their sentences to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The three individuals excluded from this decision include the Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers, the man who killed 11 Jewish worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018.
In a statement, Biden emphasized his belief that the U.S. should end the use of the death penalty at the federal level.
However, his decision does not affect more than 2,000 individuals sentenced to death by state authorities.
Among those granted clemency are nine individuals convicted of killing fellow inmates, four for murders committed during bank robberies, and one for killing a prison guard.
Former New Orleans police officer Len Davis, who was involved in a drug ring and orchestrated a murder, is also among those who have received clemency.
Biden’s stance against the death penalty is well known. Under his administration, the Justice Department implemented a moratorium on federal executions.
This decision comes ahead of the return of President-elect Donald Trump in January, who resumed federal executions during his first term in office.
Trump oversaw 13 executions in the final months of his presidency, after a 17-year hiatus in federal executions.
In his statement, Biden expressed concern about the possibility of a new administration resuming executions, stating he could not “in good conscience” allow that to happen.
His decision to commute these sentences is final and cannot be undone by a future president.
While Biden’s decision affects federal death row cases, it does not impact the roughly 2,250 individuals on death row in state courts.
Over 70 state executions have taken place during Biden’s presidency, and 23 U.S. states have abolished the death penalty, with six others imposing moratoriums.
Earlier this month, Biden commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 individuals and pardoned 39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes.
He also pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, who had pleaded guilty to tax charges and was convicted for being a drug user in possession of a firearm.
The U.S. Constitution grants the president broad powers to grant reprieves and pardons, except in cases of impeachment.
NTSA To Act After Video Shows Reckless Driving By Matatus On Nairobi-Nyeri Highway.
