Biden commutes most federal death sentences before Trump term
Al Jazeera
White House says 37 of 40 inmates on federal death row will face life in prison instead.
United States President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row in his weeks in office before the second term of President-elect Donald Trump.
The move, announced on Monday, means that the 37 individuals will instead face life in prison for their convictions, according to the White House. Three other inmates convicted of deadly hate or “terrorism” crimes will continue to face execution.
“Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss,” Biden said in a statement.
“But guided by my conscience and my experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Vice President, and now President, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level,” he said.
The announcement comes just weeks before Trump is set to take office. The president-elect, whose first four-year term ended in 2021, has regularly called for the death penalty for undocumented migrants who kill US citizens.
