Biden Commutes Death Sentences for 37 of 40 Federal Death Row Inmates

The outgoing president uses his pardon power to convert their punishments to life imprisonment mere weeks before President-elect Trump, a proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office.

AP/Rod Lamkey, Jr., file
President Biden at the White House on December 16, 2024. AP/Rod Lamkey, Jr., file

WASHINGTON — President Biden announced 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 Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office.

The move spares the lives of people convicted in killings, including the slayings of police and military officers, people on federal land and those involved in deadly bank robberies or drug deals, as well as the killings of guards or prisoners in federal facilities.

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