Democratic Representatives, activist call on Biden to commute federal death sentences

Congressional Democrats called on outgoing President Joe Biden to utilize executive powers to commute the sentences of federal death row inmates in a press conference Tuesday.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) reiterated previous calls to grant clemency, including the reintroduction of legislation to ban the use of the death penalty at the federal level in 2023.

"Mr. President, you and you alone have the power to save lives," Pressley said. "You must use it."

The press conference included Democratic representatives and activists who have been pushing Biden to act in the waning days of his administration.

There are currently 40 men on federal death row whose sentences Biden could commute to life in prison.

Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) recalled that ending the federal death penalty was a promise Biden made during the 2020 campaign and said that Biden faces little political opposition to commute their sentences as a lame-duck president.

"I'm not sure what he's waiting for but the only time better than yesterday is today," Bush said.

USA TODAY contacted the White House ahead of the press conference but did not immediately receive a response.

Clemency advocates remind Biden of Trump execution spree

Those seeking to push Biden have raised concerns that the incoming Trump administration will restart federal executions, which had been paused under the current administration.

President-elect Donald Trump called for expanded use of the death penalty to punish drug dealers, human traffickers, child rapists and migrants who kill American citizens or law enforcement officers during the 2024 campaign.

Advocates pointed to concerns over fairness that mirror criticisms of the practice at the state level.

"This is about saving lives and doing away with a cruel, racist, and fundamentally flawed punishment that has been disproportionately weaponized against Black, brown and low-income families for far too long," Pressley said in a statement provided to USA TODAY ahead of the press conference.

There have been 16 executions carried out by the federal government since the practice was reinstated in 1988, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Of those, 13 occurred in the final months of the first Trump administration between July 2020 and January 2021.

"We don't want to see what happened in 2020 and 2021 under the Trump administration," Justin Mazzola, Amnesty International USA Researcher said in an interview with USA TODAY ahead of the press conference. "He has this unique opportunity, and so we want to push him to take this opportunity before he leaves office."

Pardons and commutations could define Biden legacy, activists say

The push for death row commutations comes amid rumors of preemptive pardons by Biden to people perceived as enemies by Trump and the pardon of his son Hunter on federal gun and tax evasion charges.

"It does show that he's willing to take steps to protect certain people. All we're asking him to do is take that next step," Mazzola said. "He knows people are in the crosshairs of the Trump administration when president-elect Trump does come into power on Jan. 20. He's at least cognizant of that political reality."

Representatives at the press conference said that commuting the death sentences is an opportunity for the outgoing president to control his legacy.

"(Biden's) clemency power is not just a tool, it is his responsibility," Bush said at the press conference.

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Reps. Pressley, Bush, activist demand Biden commute death sentences