SPLC Applauds Biden Administration Commuting Federal Death Row Sentences

MONTGOMERY, Ala. —  Today, the Biden administration announced that it has commuted the sentences of 37 of 40 people on federal death row. This announcement follows a letter sent by the SPLC and several other coalition partners on the matter. 

“The death penalty is rooted in a deep history of racialized violence, and we applaud the Biden administration for commuting the sentences of almost all of the people on federal death row," said Margaret Huang, president and CEO, Southern Poverty Law Center.

"These historic acts of clemency will be remembered as an important part of President Biden’s legacy on racial justice," Huang continued. “We urge Congress to follow in the footsteps of the President by passing legislation that ends the use of the death penalty at the federal and state levels once and for all."