NAPD Public Resources

On November 22, 2024, a coalition of organizations urged President Biden to exercise his executive power to commute all federal death sentences. The letter highlights Biden's campaign promise to oppose the death penalty and emphasizes the need for immediate action to prevent further executions, especially given the historical increase in federal executions. The coalition, comprising criminal defense attorneys and legal advocates, stresses the arbitrary and discriminatory nature of the death penalty, which disproportionately affects marginalized communities and fails to deter crime. They argue that the continuation of capital punishment undermines public confidence in the legal system and that public opinion increasingly favors clemency and the abolition of the death penalty. The letter calls for decisive action from President Biden, framing it as a moral imperative that aligns with his legacy as a compassionate leader committed to human rights and justice. The coalition believes that commuting these sentences is essential to rectify systemic inequities within the criminal justice system and to promote a more humane legal framework. They implore the President to act swiftly, emphasizing that this is a matter of life or death for those on federal death row.