President Biden is granting clemency to 37 of the 40 federal inmates facing death sentences. Their sentences will be commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The three inmates who did not receive clemency are the convicted killer in the Tree of Life synagogue shooting, the gunman at Charleston’s Mother Emanuel Church, and the surviving Boston Marathon bomber.
The announcement is sure to spark a partisan debate, even though the presidential commutation and pardon powers are broad, constitutionally enshrined and irreversible.
The Justice Department instituted a moratorium on executions in 2021 so it could review policies and procedures.
President-elect Trump has said he would resume executions and may seek to expand the crimes punishable by capital punishment.
Mr Biden appeared to allude to Trump’s stated intention in a statement announcing the commutations when he said: “I cannot in good conscience stand back and let a new administration resume the executions that I stopped.”
He also 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.
“Make no mistake: I condemn these killers, I grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and I grieve for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss.
“But guided by my conscience and my experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, vice chairman and now chairman, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level “.
contributed to this report.