President Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 out of 40 federal inmates, a significant move that underscores his administration’s commitment to halting the use of capital punishment at the federal level. The decision comes as former President Donald Trump, who championed an aggressive resumption of federal executions during his term, prepares for a potential return to the political stage.
The commutations convert the inmates’ sentences to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, leaving only three individuals on federal death row. These exceptions include Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, responsible for the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing; Dylann Roof, the white supremacist who killed nine Black churchgoers in Charleston in 2015; and Robert Bowers, who murdered 11 Jewish worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018.
“This decision aligns with the moratorium my administration has placed on federal executions,” Biden said in a carefully worded statement. “I condemn these murderers and grieve for their victims, but my conscience demands that we end the use of the death penalty at the federal level.”
The president’s action follows months of mounting pressure from death penalty opponents and human rights advocates, urging him to fulfill his campaign promise to curtail capital punishment. While the move was welcomed by many, it also drew sharp criticism from some corners, particularly from Trump and his allies, who have repeatedly called for an expansion of the death penalty to combat violent crime.
Biden’s commutations come in stark contrast to Trump’s record on federal executions. After a 17-year hiatus, Trump revived federal capital punishment in July 2020, overseeing 13 executions in his final six months in office—a figure unparalleled by any U.S. president in over a century. Trump has since pledged to broaden the scope of the death penalty, proposing its application for drug traffickers, human smugglers, and migrants accused of killing American citizens.
Biden’s approach reflects a broader trend in the U.S. away from capital punishment. The death penalty has been abolished in 23 states, with six others—Arizona, California, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee—implementing moratoriums. However, at the state level, the practice remains active, with 25 executions carried out in 2024 alone.
The 37 individuals whose sentences were commuted include nine prisoners convicted of murdering fellow inmates, four who committed murder during bank robberies, and one who killed a prison guard. Biden’s decision to spare these lives is a reflection of his administration’s moral stance rather than an endorsement of the crimes committed.
“Make no mistake: these are heinous crimes,” Biden emphasized in his statement. “But we must ensure that our justice system reflects the values of a modern and humane society.”
The three remaining inmates on federal death row, however, stand as exceptions. These cases—rooted in terrorism and hate-fueled violence—appear to represent a moral boundary that Biden is unwilling to cross, even as he seeks to abolish the federal death penalty in the long term.
Critics argue that Biden’s decision undermines the justice system and ignores the suffering of victims’ families. Proponents, on the other hand, see it as a necessary step toward addressing systemic flaws in capital punishment, including racial disparities and wrongful convictions.
As Biden prepares to leave office, the decision marks a pivotal moment in his presidency, drawing a sharp contrast to Trump’s legacy on this divisive issue. With the nation at a crossroads on the future of the death penalty, Biden’s actions are likely to reverberate long after his term ends, setting the stage for a broader debate on the morality and efficacy of capital punishment in the United States.