Background

We have until January 20 to persuade President to commute the sentences of those on federal death row.

The death penalty is a system that perpetuates injustice, particularly for Black, Brown, and economically disadvantaged people, who are the most vulnerable to wrongful convictions and death sentences. It does not deter crime or enhance public safety. Continuing the federal death penalty increases the risk of killing innocent people and deepening systemic inequalities.

Donald Trump has explicitly stated that he plans to resume federal executions swiftly in his second term. President Biden must take action now to prevent this injustice by commuting all federal death sentences.

The federal death penalty, like its state-level counterparts, is steeped in racial and geographic bias. Today, 55% of the 40 people on federal death row are people of color, including 15 Black men, echoing the racial injustices and economic discrimination that have historically plagued our nation. Additionally, federal death sentences are concentrated in a handful of states and circuits –Texas, Virginia, and Missouri alone account for 43% of current federal death sentences. 

In federal and state systems alike, the flaws in death penalty cases are profound. Defendants often lack adequate defense, are convicted on the basis of unreliable and discredited forensic evidence, and face biased proceedings, with all-white juries in some cases. To make matters worse, those on federal death row often face severely limited post-conviction review processes. Most people on federal death row would not even be prosecuted under today’s Department of Justice standards, which limit death sentences to cases with significant national interest. Yet, their federal death sentences still stand. This makes the federal death penalty error-prone, unreliable, and deeply unjust.

Despite these glaring issues, the federal government under President Trump resumed executions in 2020, carrying out 13 executions in just seven months. Many of those executed had intellectual disabilities, serious mental illnesses, and histories of deep trauma, and their legal proceedings were tainted by racial bias, junk science, and other flaws. These deaths also occurred despite calls for mercy from victims’ families and demands for fairness from a broad coalition of Americans across political and faith backgrounds. 

By commuting the sentences of those on federal death row, President Biden has the opportunity to take a crucial step toward ending unjust executions and advancing a more just, equitable America. This action will not only fulfill a promise made in 2020, but it will also be a meaningful step toward healing America’s long legacy of racial and economic injustice. 

Please sign your name to the petition above to urge President Biden to commute the sentences of people on the federal death row by Jan. 20, 2025. By doing so, he can honor his commitment to justice reform and secure his legacy as a leader of compassion, equity, and social progress. We cannot afford to uphold a system that risks innocent lives and deepens racial injustice. Join us in calling for an end to federal executions today.