Biden gives life in prison to 37 of 40 federal death row inmates
Top News
4 hours, 41 minutes ago

Biden gives life in prison to 37 of 40 federal death row inmates

Deccan Chronicle  

Washington: President Joe Biden announced on Monday that he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment mere weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office. While running for president in 2020, Biden's campaign website said he would work to pass legislation to eliminate the death penalty at the federal level, and incentivize states to follow the federal government's example. Speculation that Biden could commute federal death sentences intensified last week after the White House announced he plans to visit Italy on the final foreign trip of his presidency next month. Martin Luther King III, who publicly urged Biden to change the death sentences, said in a statement issued by the White House that the president "has done what no president before him was willing to do: take meaningful and lasting action not just to acknowledge the death penalty's racist roots but also to remedy its persistent unfairness.

Death Trump Capital Punishment Biden President Federal Executions Life Sentences Gives Life Federal Death Row Federal Executions  executions  death  president  37  federal  biden  prison  penalty  gives  life  sentences  trump  inmates  40  white  row

History of this topic

Biden commutes sentences for 37 of 40 federal death row inmates
3 hours, 38 minutes ago

Biden commutes sentences for 37 of 40 federal death row inmates

Raw Story  

U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday commuted the death sentences of 37 of 40 federal inmates, taking action ahead of the return of Donald Trump who oversaw a sweeping number of lethal injections during his first term. The move leaves only a handful of high-profile killers who acted out of hate or terrorism facing the federal death penalty -- for …

Biden commutes sentences for 37 of 40 federal death row inmates
15 hours, 24 minutes ago

Biden commutes sentences for 37 of 40 federal death row inmates

New Indian Express  

US President Joe Biden on Monday commuted the death sentences of 37 of 40 federal inmates, taking action ahead of the return of Donald Trump who oversaw a sweeping number of lethal injections during his first term. With less than a month left in office, Biden had faced growing calls from death penalty opponents to commute the sentences of those …

Dozens of death row inmates may see sentences commuted by Joe Biden: report
2 days, 14 hours ago

Dozens of death row inmates may see sentences commuted by Joe Biden: report

Raw Story  

Dozens of convicted murderers set to be executed by the federal government could see their sentences commuted by President Joe Biden, according to a report. The report comes after Pope Francis earlier this month asked for prayers for federal inmates set to face capital punishment. “Today, I feel compelled to ask all of you to pray for the inmates on …

Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency
Top News
1 week, 2 days ago

Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency

Hindustan Times  

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and is pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency The commutations announced Thursday are for people who have …

Biden Could Block Another Trump Execution Spree
1 week, 3 days ago

Biden Could Block Another Trump Execution Spree

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING During his final six months as president, Donald Trump’s administration carried out an unprecedented execution spree, killing 13 people. With the stroke of a pen, Biden could commute every federal death sentence to life in prison and block the incoming Trump administration from carrying out its stated mass killing agenda. At the same time, Justice Department lawyers …

Biden commutes 1,500 sentences, pardons 39 non-violent offenders in historic clemency action
1 week, 3 days ago

Biden commutes 1,500 sentences, pardons 39 non-violent offenders in historic clemency action

Firstpost  

President Joe Biden on Thursday announced that he is commuting the sentences of some 1,500 individuals and pardoning 39 people convicted of non-violent crimes, marking a significant use of presidential clemency just weeks before the end of his administration President Joe Biden on Thursday announced that he is commuting the sentences of some 1,500 individuals and pardoning 39 people convicted …

Biden commutes 1,500 sentences and issues 39 pardons in biggest single-day act of clemency in history
Trending News
1 week, 4 days ago

Biden commutes 1,500 sentences and issues 39 pardons in biggest single-day act of clemency in history

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Joe Biden has issued the single largest act of clemency …

Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency
Top News
1 week, 4 days ago

Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency

Deccan Chronicle  

Washington: President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and is pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. “As president, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in …

Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency
Top News
1 week, 4 days ago

Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and is pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. “As president, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate …

Biden commutes 1,500 terms, grants 39 pardons in largest single-day clemency
1 week, 4 days ago

Biden commutes 1,500 terms, grants 39 pardons in largest single-day clemency

India Today  

US President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 individuals and granted 39 pardons, making it the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history, the White House announced on Thursday morning. My Administration will continue reviewing clemency petitions to advance equal justice under the law, promote public safety, support rehabilitation and reentry, and provide meaningful second chances," …

Biden commutes 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 in historic clemency move
1 week, 4 days ago

Biden commutes 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 in historic clemency move

India Today  

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and is pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. “As president, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in …

Joe Biden pardons 39 criminals, commutes 1,500 sentences in largest single-day act of clemency in US history
1 week, 4 days ago

Joe Biden pardons 39 criminals, commutes 1,500 sentences in largest single-day act of clemency in US history

ABC  

US President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of roughly 1,500 Americans who were released from prison and placed in home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. The pardons and commutations, announced by the White House on Thursday, mean Mr Biden now holds the record for the largest single-day act of …

Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency
1 week, 4 days ago

Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency

LA Times  

President Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed in home confinement during the COVID-19 lockdown and is pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. “As president, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life …

'Should not proceed': Dozens of former judges ask Biden for major act before his term ends
1 week, 4 days ago

'Should not proceed': Dozens of former judges ask Biden for major act before his term ends

Raw Story  

At the end of every presidency, the leader drops pardons and commutations, but former federal judges are begging President Joe Biden to make a strong statement by moving death row inmates scheduled for execution to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Legal reporter Chris Geidner posted the letter to Biden is signed by 24 former federal judges, as …

Everyone from Richard Branson to the Pope wants Biden to ‘Trump-proof’ death row
1 week, 6 days ago

Everyone from Richard Branson to the Pope wants Biden to ‘Trump-proof’ death row

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Biden was already facing calls last from opponents of capital punishment to commute the …

Anti-death penalty activists say Biden betrayed them
2 weeks, 3 days ago

Anti-death penalty activists say Biden betrayed them

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But other than that, you know, we did not see the kind of bold …

Before it is too late Biden must turn words into deeds on the death penalty
3 weeks, 1 day ago

Before it is too late Biden must turn words into deeds on the death penalty

Salon  

In the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election, opponents of the death penalty are mounting a campaign to convince President Biden to commute the sentences of everyone on federal death row. José Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles and president of the conference warned that “Our new President has pledged to pursue certain policies that would advance moral evils and threaten …

Joe Biden Can Preemptively Halt One Brutal Trump Policy
54 years, 11 months ago

Joe Biden Can Preemptively Halt One Brutal Trump Policy

Slate  

There are 40 men on federal death row who have been convicted of capital offenses by the federal government going back as far as 1993. Unlike his predecessor, he has not carried out any federal executions, but, as the Atlantic’s Elizabeth Bruenig explains, “neither has he instructed Garland to stop pursuing new death sentences, or to stop defending ongoing capital …

Trump Second Term 'Mortifies' Family Members Of The Executed
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Trump Second Term 'Mortifies' Family Members Of The Executed

Huff Post  

During the final six months of Donald Trump's presidency, his administration rushed to execute 13 people, ending a 17-year de facto moratorium on federal executions. When they’re showing signs of asphyxiation,” said Vialva’s mother, Lisa Brown, noting evidence that the lethal injection drugs can cause the lungs to fill with fluid, creating the sensation of suffocating or drowning to death. …

Biden pardons 11 people and shortens the sentences of 5 others convicted of non-violent drug crimes
7 months, 4 weeks ago

Biden pardons 11 people and shortens the sentences of 5 others convicted of non-violent drug crimes

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has granted clemency to 16 people who were convicted of non-violent drug crimes, issuing pardons to 11 men and women and commuting the sentences of five other people in the latest use of his clemency power to address racial disparities in the justice system. Biden said in a statement Wednesday that April is Second Chance …

Fuller picture emerges of the 13 federal executions at the end of Trump’s presidency
1 year, 2 months ago

Fuller picture emerges of the 13 federal executions at the end of Trump’s presidency

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — A day before the federal government executed a Texas man for the killing of an Iowa couple when he was 18, celebrity lawyer Alan Dershowitz pleaded with then-President Donald Trump — a former client — to call the execution off. The relatives, Trump explained, were on the road to the prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, where federal executions …

Biden’s inaction on death penalty may be a top campaign issue as Trump and DeSantis laud executions
1 year, 4 months ago

Biden’s inaction on death penalty may be a top campaign issue as Trump and DeSantis laud executions

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — Capital punishment could emerge as a major campaign issue in the U.S. presidential race for the first time in 30 years, with top GOP rivals Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis already one-upping each other by touting tougher, more far-reaching death penalty laws. Meanwhile, death penalty foes are poised to draw attention to what Democrat Joe Biden hasn’t done …

Joe Biden Criticized For Inaction On Death Penalty
1 year, 5 months ago

Joe Biden Criticized For Inaction On Death Penalty

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING President Joe Biden made history in 2021 when he became the first president to publicly oppose the death penalty. Death penalty abolitionists told HuffPost during the early days of Biden’s presidency they hoped he would use his clemency power to commute the sentences of everyone on federal death row as a failsafe against Congressional inaction. In July …

Biden’s Justice Dept. keeps hard line in death row cases
1 year, 8 months ago

Biden’s Justice Dept. keeps hard line in death row cases

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — Rejon Taylor hoped the election of Joe Biden, the first U.S. president to campaign on a pledge to end the death penalty, would mean a more sympathetic look at his claims that racial bias and other trial errors landed him on federal death row in Terre Haute, Indiana. “It’s business as usual.” Death penalty opponents expected Biden to …

US no longer seeking death for man convicted in Sjodin case
1 year, 9 months ago

US no longer seeking death for man convicted in Sjodin case

Associated Press  

U.S. prosecutors said Tuesday that they will no longer seek the death penalty for a Minnesota man already on death row but awaiting resentencing for the kidnapping and killing of college student Dru Sjodin in 2003 — a case that led to changes in sex offender registration laws. The Justice Department has faced criticism from death penalty opponents for pursuing …

EXPLAINER: Biden inaction, mixed signals on death penalty
1 year, 11 months ago

EXPLAINER: Biden inaction, mixed signals on death penalty

Associated Press  

In Boston, the Justice Department is pressing judges to uphold Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s death sentence. The Justice Department continues to press for the death penalty in certain cases, even though it has imposed a moratorium that means no federal executions are likely to happen anytime soon. But they will be Biden executions.” A White House email on Wednesday said …

What does Joe Biden's silence on the death penalty mean?
1 year, 11 months ago

What does Joe Biden's silence on the death penalty mean?

Firstpost  

US president Joe Biden campaigned on a pledge to work toward abolishing federal capital punishment. But the Justice Department continues to press for the death penalty in certain cases — even as a moratorium means no federal executions are likely to happen anytime soon In Boston, the Justice Department is pressing judges to uphold Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s death sentence. …

US President Biden issues pardons for drug crimes, murder
1 year, 11 months ago

US President Biden issues pardons for drug crimes, murder

Al Jazeera  

The six year-end pardons signal shifting attitudes towards domestic violence and drug policy in the United States. That case, involving a defendant named Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas, is credited with helping to build an understanding of “battered woman syndrome”, the term for a psychological pattern similar to post-traumatic stress disorder associated with survivors of domestic violence. I just knew he had …

Report: 11 executions in 2021 mark three-decade low
3 years ago

Report: 11 executions in 2021 mark three-decade low

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — States and the federal government carried out 11 executions this year, the fewest since 1988, as support for the death penalty has continued to decline. That’s according to an annual report on the death penalty released Thursday, which was also sharply critical of the Supreme Court and its role in green-lighting executions. Pandemic-related disruptions partly accounted for the …

Joe Biden says he’s changed his mind on the death penalty. Why isn’t he doing more to stop it?
3 years, 1 month ago

Joe Biden says he’s changed his mind on the death penalty. Why isn’t he doing more to stop it?

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “He’s only four times a year put someone …

US attorney general freezes all federal executions
3 years, 5 months ago

US attorney general freezes all federal executions

Al Jazeera  

President Joe Biden, a Democrat, pledged during his campaign to support legislation to end the death penalty. US Attorney General Merrick Garland has ordered a moratorium on federal executions while the Justice Department continues its review of the death penalty, the department said in a statement. “The Department of Justice must ensure that everyone in the federal criminal justice system …

Biden’s silence on executions adds to death penalty disarray
3 years, 6 months ago

Biden’s silence on executions adds to death penalty disarray

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — Activists widely expected Joe Biden to take swift action against the death penalty as the first sitting president to oppose capital punishment, especially since an unprecedented spate of executions by his predecessor ended just days before Biden took office. Support for the death penalty among Americans is at near-historic lows after peaking in the mid-1990s and steadily declining …

On federal death row, inmates talk about Biden, executions
3 years, 9 months ago

On federal death row, inmates talk about Biden, executions

The Independent  

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Biden hasn’t spoken publicly about capital punishment since taking office four days …

On federal death row, inmates talk about Biden, executions
3 years, 9 months ago

On federal death row, inmates talk about Biden, executions

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — On federal death row, prisoners fling notes on a string under each other’s cell doors and converse through interconnected air ducts. Biden hasn’t spoken publicly about capital punishment since taking office four days after the Trump administration executed the last of 13 inmates at the Terre Haute, Indiana, penitentiary where all federal death row inmates are held. The …

They were innocent and on death row. The exonerated want to ensure Biden keeps pledge
3 years, 9 months ago

They were innocent and on death row. The exonerated want to ensure Biden keeps pledge

CNN  

CNN — Sabrina Smith was only 17 when a predominately White Mississippi jury convicted her in 1989 for fatally beating her 9-month-old son. These individuals should instead serve life sentences without probation or parole,” according to Biden’s “Plan for Strengthening America’s Commitment to Justice.” Led by Pressley and Illinois Rep. Dick Durbin, lawmakers have introduced legislation and cosigned letters to …

‘This horror has to stop.’ Spiritual advisers to death row inmates decry recent wave of federal executions
3 years, 9 months ago

‘This horror has to stop.’ Spiritual advisers to death row inmates decry recent wave of federal executions

CNN  

CNN — It wasn’t until Yusuf Nur was inside the execution chamber, standing next to a condemned man strapped to a gurney, that he understood why he’d been asked to be present. “At the beginning, it was not clear to me that being a spiritual counselor would entail being there in the death chamber,” Nur told CNN, “and be there …

‘We can be sure innocents died’, US death row exonerations show
3 years, 10 months ago

‘We can be sure innocents died’, US death row exonerations show

Al Jazeera  

The Death Penalty Information Center added 11 cases to its “Innocence List” that tracks American death row exonerations on Thursday, bringing the total to 185 and raising concerns over the likelihood more innocents – especially people of colour – will be condemned. “Everybody’s worst fear about capital punishment is that innocent people will be wrongfully convicted and executed,” Robert Dunham, …

US civil rights groups call on Biden to end federal executions
3 years, 10 months ago

US civil rights groups call on Biden to end federal executions

Al Jazeera  

A disproportionate number of Black people have been sentenced to death and are on death row, the groups say. Dozens of prominent civil rights groups in the United States are urging US President Joe Biden to reimpose a moratorium on federal executions, saying the practice has disproportionally targeted Black people. Former President Donald Trump had promoted “law and order” during …

More than 80 civil rights organizations call on Biden to abolish the federal death penalty
3 years, 10 months ago

More than 80 civil rights organizations call on Biden to abolish the federal death penalty

CNN  

CNN — More than 80 nationally recognized criminal justice and civil rights advocacy organizations have joined in the call to President Joe Biden on Tuesday urging him to abolish the federal death penalty and commute the sentences of 49 death row inmates to life in prison. While the Justice Department has not scheduled any federal executions since the last of …

Big challenge: Biden is pressed to end federal death penalty
3 years, 10 months ago

Big challenge: Biden is pressed to end federal death penalty

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — Joe Biden, the first sitting U.S. president to openly oppose the death penalty, has discussed the possibility of instructing the Department of Justice to stop scheduling new executions, officials have told The Associated Press. Action to stop scheduling new executions could take immediate pressure off Biden from opponents of the death penalty. Thirty-seven members of Congress urged Biden …

Can Biden abolish the death penalty?
3 years, 10 months ago

Can Biden abolish the death penalty?

Al Jazeera  

On Wednesday, February 3 at 19:30GMT: Joe Biden was the first presidential candidate in US history to run on a pledge to end the federal death penalty and win. Last year marked the first time in US history in which a greater number of executions were carried out at the federal level than in all states combined. Twenty-two states have …

Trump administration carries out 13th and final execution
3 years, 11 months ago

Trump administration carries out 13th and final execution

Associated Press  

— The Trump administration early Saturday carried out its 13th federal execution since July, an unprecedented run that concluded just five days before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden — an opponent of the federal death penalty. Higgs’ lawyers argued it was “arbitrary and inequitable” to execute Higgs while Willis Haynes, the man who fired the shots that killed the …

Trump administration carries out 13th, final federal execution
3 years, 11 months ago

Trump administration carries out 13th, final federal execution

Al Jazeera  

Number of federal death sentences carried out under Trump since 2020 is more than the previous 56 years combined. The US government carried out the 13th and final federal execution under President Donald Trump’s administration early on Saturday just days before President-elect Joe Biden takes office with a promise to end the death penalty. Execution during transition Not since the …

People Are Not Paying Attention To The Trump Administration’s Execution Spree
3 years, 11 months ago

People Are Not Paying Attention To The Trump Administration’s Execution Spree

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING The Trump administration has executed 10 people over the last five months — the first federal executions in nearly two decades. Although the Trump administration’s spate of executions has not attracted widespread national attention, it has mobilized death penalty opponents to ramp up pressure on the incoming Biden administration to put an end to the practice. That …

Donald Trump's administration carries out more executions in 2020 than death penalty states
4 years ago

Donald Trump's administration carries out more executions in 2020 than death penalty states

ABC  

For the first time in history, the US Government has carried out more executions in a year than those carried out by states that still conduct executions, according to an annual report on the death penalty released on Wednesday. Key points: Executions carried out by US states in 2020 dwindled to just seven due to the COVID-19 pandemic Donald Trump's …

U.S. carries out rare execution during presidential transition
4 years ago

U.S. carries out rare execution during presidential transition

LA Times  

The Trump administration on Thursday carried out its ninth federal execution of the year and the first during a presidential lame-duck period in 130 years, putting to death a Texas street-gang member for his role in the slayings of a religious couple from Iowa more than two decades ago. “I wish that we could all go back and change it.” …

Editorial: Trump’s rush to execute prisoners proves the death penalty is arbitrary
4 years ago

Editorial: Trump’s rush to execute prisoners proves the death penalty is arbitrary

LA Times  

Every presidential administration rushes to rack up a last few accomplishments as it enters its final weeks, but at no time in U.S. history has the race to finish an agenda also included killing a slew of federal prisoners. Since July, when the federal government executed the first prisoner in nearly two decades, it has used lethal injections to kill …

Trump ratchets up pace of executions before Biden inaugural
4 years ago

Trump ratchets up pace of executions before Biden inaugural

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — As Donald Trump’s presidency winds down, his administration is ratcheting up the pace of federal executions despite a surge of coronavirus cases in prisons, announcing plans for five starting Thursday and concluding just days before the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. “It’s hard to understand why anybody at this stage of a presidency feels compelled to …

Trump is on a death row killing spree: Bill Barr now wants to bring back firing squads
4 years ago

Trump is on a death row killing spree: Bill Barr now wants to bring back firing squads

Salon  

The Trump administration is rushing to execute an unprecedented number of people before President-elect Joe Biden, an opponent of the death penalty, takes office on January 20. The last time a federal execution was carried out under a "lame duck" president was in 1889, after President Grover Cleveland lost his first bid at reelection, the Death Penalty Information Center reports. …

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