Trump Vows to Revive Federal Executions After Biden Commutes Death Row Sentences
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to “vigorously pursue” the federal death penalty, sharply criticizing President Joe Biden’s decision to commute the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment without parole.
Biden’s commutations, announced Monday, were part of a broader policy aimed at limiting federal executions, reserving the death penalty only for cases of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murders. Trump, however, decried the move as an affront to victims’ families.
“Joe Biden just commuted the death sentence on 37 of the worst killers in our country,” Trump wrote on his social media platform. “This makes no sense. Relatives and friends of victims are devastated.”
Trump’s Push for Capital Punishment
Trump has long advocated for expanding the federal death penalty. During his campaign, he proposed its use for crimes including the murder of police officers, drug trafficking, and human trafficking. On Tuesday, he reiterated plans to direct the Justice Department to prioritize capital punishment for what he described as “violent rapists, murderers, and monsters.”
Legal experts, however, have questioned the feasibility of Trump’s promises. Douglas Berman, a sentencing expert at Ohio State University, noted that while Trump’s stance on the death penalty is consistent, implementing such measures would face significant legal and practical hurdles.
“This is more about rhetoric at this stage,” Berman said, suggesting Trump’s comments may be aimed at signaling his law-and-order priorities rather than outlining actionable policy.
Highlighted Cases and Public Reaction
Trump pointed to the cases of two former death row inmates whose sentences were commuted by Biden. Jorge Avila Torrez, a former Marine, was convicted of killing a sailor and later admitted to murdering two young girls in Illinois. Thomas Steven Sanders was sentenced to death for the kidnapping and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Louisiana and the killing of her mother in Arizona.
Victims’ families expressed outrage at Biden’s commutations, while advocacy groups such as the ACLU and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops commended the president’s decision, arguing that it aligns with a broader movement to end the death penalty.
Federal vs. State Death Penalty Dynamics
Biden’s decision affects federal death row inmates, a relatively small group compared to the more than 2,000 individuals sentenced to death by state courts. Experts say that most capital cases are prosecuted at the state level, which could limit Trump’s ability to expand federal executions unless he seeks to take over state cases involving severe crimes like drug trafficking or smuggling.
Controversial Proposals for Death Penalty Expansion
Trump’s comments also raised questions about whether he might seek to make certain non-homicidal crimes, such as rape, punishable by death. Such efforts would challenge existing Supreme Court precedent, which deems the death penalty disproportionate for crimes like rape.
“It would take decades for the courts to revisit this precedent,” Berman said, adding that Trump’s plans face significant constitutional and legislative barriers.
Biden’s Remaining Death Row Cases
While Biden commuted most federal death sentences, he left three inmates eligible for execution: Dylann Roof, convicted of the 2015 Charleston church massacre; Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; and Robert Bowers, who carried out the 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.
As the debate over capital punishment continues, Trump’s vow to restore federal executions signals a return to a contentious issue that has deeply divided Americans. Recent polls indicate declining public support for the death penalty, with only about half of Americans in favor, down from 70% in 2007.
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