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Government,
Criminal

Dec. 27, 2024

Biden's half-step on death row is only a partial victory

President Biden's commutation of 37 out of 40 federal death row sentences is a partial but important step in fulfilling his promise to end the death penalty, though the decision to leave three individuals to die reflects the ongoing injustice of state-sanctioned execution.

Robert M. Sanger

Senior Partner Sanger Law Firm, P.C.

Email: rsanger@sangerswysen.com

UCLA SOL; Los Angeles CA

President Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 of 40 men on federal death row. Shown here is Dylann Roof, whose sentence was not commuted. Photo: The New York Times

The commutation by President Biden of 37 of the 40 people sentenced to death under federal law is a long overdue but partial fulfillment of a promise on the part of the Biden Administration. As a result of the commutation, these 37 people will not be killed by the federal government. That is a win for humanity.

The problem is that the President did not commute all of the sentences. He left 3 to die. The death penalty is wrong. I say this from the perspective of over 50 years of cr...

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