Former President Donald Trump has pledged to take decisive action on capital punishment, promising to "vigorously pursue" the death penalty after President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 death row inmates to life imprisonment. This decision has provoked strong reactions from Trump, who views it as an insult to the victims' families.
On Monday, Biden’s administration announced changes to the sentences of most of those on federal death row, shifting them from death sentences to life without parole. The move sparked immediate backlash from Trump, who took to social media to criticize Biden's actions.
“Joe Biden just commuted the Death Sentence on 37 of the worst killers in our Country,” Trump declared. “When you hear the acts of each, you won’t believe he did this. Makes no sense. Relatives and friends are devastated. They can’t believe this is happening!”
Biden justified the commutation by referencing the moratorium on federal executions, noting the shift to life sentences aligns with his administration's focus on addressing the issues surrounding capital punishment. Historically, presidents have refrained from directly dicting the punishment outcomes of criminal cases, but Trump has consistently sought greater control over Justice Department actions.
The president-elect emphasized his commitment to reinstatement of the death penalty for crimes involving “violent rapists, murderers, and monsters.” He underscored two specific cases involving men previously on federal death row, both convicted of horrific crimes. Trump stated he would direct the Justice Department to pursue the death penalty as soon as he takes office.
Not only did Trump decry Biden's decisions, but he also highlighted the severity of the actions committed by the men affected by the commutation, putting specific focus on Jorge Avila Torrez and Thomas Steven Sanders, both of whom had committed gruesome murders. The president-elect’s staunch stance is perhaps partially fueled by his well-documented history of favoring the death sentence as part of crime prevention philosophy.
Trump’s re-positioning on capital punishment also ties to wider public sentiment. Polling indicates fluctuated public support for the death penalty, with recent figures showing about half of Americans in favor. Scholars, like Professor Douglas Berman from Ohio State University, question how practical Trump's plans are, emphasizing legal and operational challenges associated with the expanded use of capital punishment.
Berman noted, “Trump has been fairly consistent... he thinks the death penalty is an important tool and he wants to use it.” This indicates potential legislative obstacles, considering many of the criminal cases surrounding the death penalty are handled by individual states rather than the federal government.
Trump's proclamation could also incite future challenges to current legal precedents, particularly considering his past discussions about extending capital punishment to include additional offenses, such as rape, which have historically not drawn the death penalty. Introducing such measures would likely require thorough judicial review and could take decades to implement, according to legal experts.
Further complicate matters, Biden's commutation left three inmates on death row, including notorious criminals like Dylann Roof, responsible for the Charleston church shooting, and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Many advocacy groups, such as the ACLU, supported Biden's commutation, citing concerns over the ethics of capital punishment and the judicial process surrounding it.
The differing approaches toward capital punishment present fascinating views on the American judicial system's future, as Trump aims to reinstate policies opposed by many advocacy groups and civil rights activists.
Trump’s ambitious promises have set the stage for what may be significant political and legal confrontations between his administration and those advocating for reform, and for many, the upcoming administration embodies the return of aggressive capital punishment policies, raising the question of how this will affect the judicial system and the families of affected individuals.
The reactions continue to emerge as Trump prepares for his upcoming administration. Observers interestly watch as the dynamics of capital punishment and its ramifications play out on the national stage.
