Biden Commutes 37 Death Sentences

President Joe Biden has commuted the death sentences of 37 prisoners on death row.

Key Details: The prisoners had been convicted of killings, including police and military officers, people on federal land and guards or prisoners in federal facilities. It also includes those who were involved in drug deals or deadly bank robberies. These 37 prisoners will now only face life in prison without parole. However, three more federal prisoners will still face execution: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who helped carry out the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing; Dylann Roof, who killed nine black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015; and Robert Bowers, who in 2018 killed 11 congregants at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue.

Key Quote: “I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level,” Biden said in a statement Monday. “In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.”

For Context: The move would prevent President-elect Donald Trump from carrying out a record number of federal executions, which he did during his first term, since the move by Biden is not reviewable by courts or reversible by Trump. Biden had promised to abolish the federal death penalty when he campaigned during the 2020 election, and he commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 people on December 12.

How the Media Covered it: The New York Times (Lean Left bias) noted that Biden had directed the Justice Department to issue a moratorium on federal executions after proposed legislation to that end failed to advance in Congress. The Washington Times (Lean Right bias) noted that Republicans are accusing Biden of "trying to appease his progressive base" at the expense of the families of the murder victims.