FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

December 23, 2024

MEDIA CONTACT: 

e:jessica.myers@mail.house.gov

c: 202.913.0126

Washington, DC — Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), released the following statement regarding President Biden commuting the sentences of 37 individuals on death row:

“I am pleased to hear the Biden Administration has continued its diligent work in criminal justice reform by reclassifying the death sentences of 37 individuals to life without the possibility of parole. When President Biden first assumed office, he and his administration imposed a moratorium on federal executions that, for generations, was pursued by advocates and lawmakers. And, through his action today, the president has once again reaffirmed that capital punishment has no place in a just nation,” said Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke. 

“Throughout my career, I’ve called for an end to the federal government’s participation in this cruel, inhumane form of punishment, as well as its extensive weaponization against Black, brown, and low-income communities. I’ve supported legislation like the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act of 2023, which would prohibit the use of the death penalty as punishment for any violation of federal law, and have consistently urged our leaders to abolish the practice.

“In consideration of the incoming Trump Administration that plans to not only end the moratorium on the federal death penalty, but embrace it as a means of state-sanctioned retribution, I welcome President Biden’s moral decision to commute these 37 death sentences. I ask that he continue to review possible pardons and commutations during his remaining time in office, and that he take any additional steps available to further build a nation that upholds its highest ideals.”

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