In a historic move just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, President Joe Biden announced on Monday that he is commuting the death sentences of 37 out of 40 people on federal death row, converting their sentences to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. This decision reflects Biden’s longstanding opposition to the death penalty, particularly in federal cases, and comes amid growing pressure from advocacy groups and calls for greater reforms to the U.S. justice system.
The commutations affect individuals convicted of a range of crimes, including killings of police officers, military personnel, and civilians, as well as those involved in deadly bank robberies, drug deals, and murders in federal facilities. The three remaining inmates still facing execution are Dylann Roof, who was convicted for the 2015 racially motivated mass shooting at a Charleston, South Carolina church; Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the 2013 Boston Marathon bomber; and Robert Bowers, who killed 11 people in 2018 at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.
In a statement, Biden emphasized his commitment to reducing violent crime and ensuring fairness in the justice system. “Today, I am commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row to life sentences without the possibility of parole,” he said. “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 actions are in line with the moratorium on federal executions his administration imposed in 2021, during which time the government halted executions while reviewing federal execution protocols. However, Biden’s stance on the death penalty is broader. As a presidential candidate in 2020, he pledged to eliminate the federal death penalty altogether and work to incentivize states to follow suit, though this promise was not reiterated during his reelection campaign.
Biden’s move also has political significance, as President-elect Trump has advocated for expanding capital punishment. Trump has frequently spoken about using the death penalty for drug dealers and human traffickers and oversaw 13 federal executions during his first term, more than any other modern president. Biden, in his statement, took aim at Trump, saying, “In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.”
The commutations follow Biden’s recent actions to address prison sentences, including the mass commutation of 1,500 people released during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as pardons granted to others convicted of nonviolent crimes. The president’s decision also comes after speculation about whether he would issue more pardons or commutations before the end of his term.
In response to Biden’s announcement, Martin Luther King III praised the president for taking significant action to address the death penalty’s “racist roots” and unfair application. Donnie Oliverio, a retired police officer, also expressed support, stating that the commutation of his partner’s killer was “the right thing to do.”