U.S. President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of 37 federal inmates on death row, converting them to life in prison without parole, just before he hands over power to President-elect Donald Trump on January 20.
The move is seen as a blow to Trump’s plan to expand executions, as executive clemency decisions cannot be reversed by a president’s successor. Biden, who was elected on a platform opposing the death penalty, had put federal executions on hold when he took office in January 2021.
“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,” Biden said in a statement. “I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.”
Reacting to the decision, a spokesperson for Trump’s team criticized the move, saying it was a “slap in the face” to the victims, their families, and their loved ones.
Human rights groups, however, praised Biden’s decision, with Amnesty International USA calling it a “big moment for human rights.”
The move leaves out three of the most well-known men on federal death row, who have filed appeals against their sentences. These include Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Dylann Roof, and Robert Bowers, who were convicted of their involvement in the Boston Marathon bombing, the Charleston church shooting, and the mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, respectively.
Biden’s decision does not affect the nearly 2,200 death-row prisoners convicted in state courts, as he holds no authority over state-level executions. The move is seen as part of a larger trend, with the president having already commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 people and pardoned 39 more earlier this month.