U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley is praising President Joe Biden’s decision to commute the death sentences of 37 of 40 federal death row inmates, who will now serve life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“Wherever you fall on the issue of the death penalty in terms of whether it’s fair or not, what is undeniable is it has not been fairly applied,” Pressley told GBH News. “And there’s been a disparate impact on low-income people, on Black people and marginalized communities. So it is racist, it’s flawed, and moreover, it’s just a fundamentally unjust punishment that has no place in any society.”
Pressley called Biden’s action “historic.”
“It’s President Biden making good on his promise to address the death penalty, and demonstrating I think the type of compassionate, moral leadership that the moment demands,” she added.
Biden did not commute the death penalty sentences for three federal inmates. He exempted Robert Bowers, who killed 11 people at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018; Dylan Roof, who murdered nine Black people at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charlestown, South Carolina in 2015; and Dzokhar Tsarnaev, who planned and executed the terrorist bombings of the Boston Marathon with his now-deceased brother Tamerlan in 2013.
Asked about those exemptions, Pressley — who has introduced and championed legislation to abolish the federal death penalty outright — replied: “First, I just want to hold space for all families impacted by violence. ... That trauma is real. I would never talk anyone out of that experience.
“No community is a monolith, and that includes the survivor community,” she added. “And so there are many families who’ve been impacted by those three tragedies who are part of this broad and diverse coalition, this growing momentum, to abolish the death penalty.”
In a statement announcing the commutations, Biden noted that his administration has imposed a moratorium on federal executions except in cases involving terrorism and “hate-motivated mass murder,” and suggested the new commutations were made in anticipation of shifting policies under President-elect Donald Trump.
“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. “But ... I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.”
Pressley has been a vocal proponent of Biden making muscular use of his clemency power in the waning days of his presidency, and this is not the first time the president has taken steps that square with that counsel.
Earlier this month, Pressley lauded a separate decision by Biden decision to pardon 39 individuals convicted of nonviolent crimes and commute the sentences of nearly 1,500 others who had been placed on home confinement, saying the moves “demonstrat[e] the power of clemency to address systemic injustices, reunite families, and set our nation on a path to healing.”
In announcing his death row commutations Monday, Biden also noted that he has previously issued categorical pardons for LGBTQ+ individuals convicted of private conduct while serving in the U.S. military and individuals convicted of the simple use and possession of marijuana.
While Pressley praised those steps, she also suggested that Biden can and should do even more before he leaves the White House.
“I’m calling on him to go farther, because he has the power, and he should use it,” Pressley said, noting that Biden hasn’t yet used his clemency power to release anyone from prison.
She suggested that before Biden’s presidency ends, he make a point of releasing incarcerated individuals who pose no threat to public safety.
“Disabled, elderly, chronically ill, women defending themselves against abusers,” she said. “People that are incarcerated for cannabis convictions. People that are incarcerated because of sentencing disparities. This is a matter of the right thing to do, and it’s also a matter of legacy.”
