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President Joe Biden announced Monday the commutation of sentences for 37 federal death row inmates, converting their punishments to life imprisonment without parole.
The move comes weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, a staunch advocate for expanding the use of capital punishment, takes office.
Biden’s decision spares individuals convicted of heinous crimes, including murder on federal land, the killing of police officers, and deadly drug-related offenses. It leaves just three federal inmates facing execution: Dylann Roof, convicted of the 2015 Charleston church massacre; Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; and Robert Bowers, responsible for the 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.
“I’ve dedicated my career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system,” Biden stated. “Today, I am commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row to life sentences without the possibility of parole. These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my administration has imposed on federal executions in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.”
Biden’s administration imposed a federal execution moratorium in 2021 to review protocols, marking a pause after a record 13 executions under Trump’s presidency. Advocacy groups had pressured Biden to take further steps to dismantle federal capital punishment, citing systemic biases and the death penalty’s disproportionate impact on marginalized communities.
Martin Luther King III praised Biden for his bold action. “President Biden has done what no president before him was willing to do: take meaningful and lasting action not just to acknowledge the death penalty’s racist roots but also to remedy its persistent unfairness,” King said.
Trump, who assumes office on January 20, has vocally supported expanding executions, particularly for drug dealers and human smugglers. During his first term, Trump oversaw the most federal executions in modern history, with some carried out in the final weeks of his presidency.
Biden also faced backlash for his recent pardon of his son Hunter and speculation over broader clemency. However, his final foreign trip next month includes a meeting with Pope Francis, a vocal opponent of the death penalty.
Retired Ohio police officer Donnie Oliverio, whose partner was killed by one of the inmates spared execution, expressed support. “The execution of the person who killed my police partner and best friend would have brought me no peace,” he said. “The president has done what is right here, and what is consistent with the faith he and I share.”
With this unprecedented act, Biden leaves office reaffirming his stance against the death penalty, a legacy certain to face scrutiny as Trump’s administration prepares to reshape federal justice policies.
