President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of nearly all prisoners on federal death row early on Monday, in a move that prevents President-elect Donald Trump—who has promised to resume carrying out capital punishment at the federal level—from allowing their executions to go forward.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the Department of Labor on in Washington, DC.
Biden said he was commuting the sentences of “37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row to life sentences without the possibility of parole.”
The move, Biden noted, was in line with the moratorium his administration had in place on federal executions outside of cases involving “terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.”
The president said he was guided by his “conscience” and said, “I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.”
The White House’s statement added that Biden’s actions would prevent the incoming Trump Administration from “carrying out the execution sentences that would not be handed down under current policy and practice.”
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“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…In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted,” Biden’s statement added.