President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment on Monday, weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. The action excludes three individuals convicted of high-profile hate-motivated and terrorism-related mass killings: Charleston Church shooter Dylann Roof, Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers, responsible for the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.
Biden, who imposed a 2021 moratorium on federal executions, cited his conscience and opposition to capital punishment, stating “I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.” His action follows advocacy group pressure to limit Trump’s ability to expand executions.
Trump, who oversaw 13 federal executions during his first term, has pledged to increase their use. Advocates and some victims’ families praised Biden’s decision as a step toward justice and fairness.
