OUT OF CONTROL: Biden Commutes Sentences of 37 of 40 Inmates – Including Child Killers and Mass Murderers – on Federal Death Row

President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences for 37 out of 40 federal inmates on death row, changing them to life in prison without parole before he hands over power to President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20.

Biden’s choice undermines Trump’s aspiration to reinstate a fast-paced schedule of federal executions. Unlike executive orders, clemency actions cannot be nullified by an incoming president, though future administrations can still opt to seek capital punishment more assertively in new prosecutions.

Trump brought back federal executions after they had been on hiatus for nearly two decades during his initial term from 2017 to 2021.

Biden, who campaigned on an anti-death penalty platform, halted federal executions as soon as he became president in January 2021.

He has, in recent weeks, been under pressure from members of Congress in the Democratic Party, advocates against capital punishment, and prominent religious figures like Pope Francis to use his clemency powers on federal death sentences prior to leaving office.

“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,” Biden said in a statement.

“But guided by my conscience and my experience … I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level,” he said. “In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.” Earlier in December, Biden commuted the sentences of almost 1,500 people and pardoned 39 more who had been found guilty of nonviolent offenses.

He also granted a complete and unconditional pardon to his son Hunter, despite earlier declarations that he would not do so. Hunter Biden had admitted to tax infractions and was found guilty on weapons-related charges.

The measure announced on Monday does not affect situations involving terrorism or large-scale killings driven by hate.

It excludes three of the most widely recognized federal death row inmates: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was convicted for his part in the 2013 bombing at the Boston Marathon finish line; Dylann Roof, convicted of the shooting rampage at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015; and Robert Bowers, found guilty for the mass shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018.

All three have pursued appeals and other legal challenges against their sentences, and these must be resolved before any date of execution can be scheduled, a process that often takes years.

Biden’s decision likewise does not impact the nearly 2,200 death row inmates who were convicted in state courts, as the president does not have the power to change their outcomes.

It is typical for presidents to issue a round of pardons as their time in the White House comes to an end.

Records from the Office of the Pardon Attorney, housed in the Justice Department, reveal that nearly 12,000 petitions for clemency have been filed during Biden’s term. By December 9, the president had granted 161 instances of clemency — 26 pardons and 135 commutations.

{Matzav.com}