CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams discusses President Biden's decision to commute the death sentences of three federal inmates, arguing that while he supports abolishing the death penalty, the criteria used for the commutations are problematic.
On Monday’s “CNN NewsNight,” CNN Legal Analyst Elliot Williams, who served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General during the Obama administration, said that while he thinks the death penalty should be abolished, President Joe Biden only commuted death sentences where the cases weren’t known. Williams said, “I do think this decision was a long time coming.
I’m sensitive to these arguments that, well, if you’re going to end the federal death penalty, end the federal death penalty and don’t create this sort of ham-fisted explanation for why you’re carving out three cases.”contributing columnist Jim Geraghty saying that the criteria for the commutations was that people who no one had heard of got commuted, “I would even be even more cynical and say that, well, if it’s a politically sensitive case, right? Like the Tree of Life matter or the Tsarnaev bombing…and that’s not to minimize the suffering or the severity of the crimes. The simple fact is, they whipped up a lot of the public and people know about them, and that’s why they were carved out. Now, the simple fact is, we should have done away with the federal death penalty a long time ago. And I say this as somebody who has tried hard to get people executed, but it is a horribly inconsistent, horribly flawed process that just simply — and recognizing how important justice and maybe even I’ll use the word vengeance is to the families of victims, and I understand that and I’m sensitive to it, I have worked with victims. But the simple fact is, there is another solution to proceeding with federal executions.” Later in the segment, Williams stated that there shouldn’t be the death penalty unless we can say with certitude that an innocent person hasn’t gotten the death penalty in the U.
DEATH PENALTY BIDEN COMMUTATIONS LEGAL EXPERT FEDERAL INMATES
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Biden Declines to Commute Sentences of Death Row Inmates, Citing Moral Opposition to Death PenaltyPresident Joe Biden has declined to commute the sentences of three men on death row, reiterating his stance against the federal use of capital punishment. Biden stated that he cannot permit a new administration to resume executions he halted, emphasizing his belief that the death penalty should be abolished.
Read more »
To Thwart Trump Killing Spree, Biden Urged to Commute Death Penalty CasesEloise Goldsmith is a staff writer for Common Dreams.
Read more »
Biden Commutes Sentences of Death Row Inmates, Citing Moral Objections to Death PenaltyPresident Joe Biden announced the commutation of sentences for several death row inmates, citing his moral opposition to capital punishment. The commutations, which reclassify sentences to life without parole, extend to cases including a white supremacist who killed 10 Black people in a Buffalo grocery store shooting in 2022. Biden emphasizes his commitment to halting federal executions, except in cases of terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.
Read more »
Biden Commuting Death Sentences, Calling Death Penalty 'Racist'President Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 people on federal death row, calling the death penalty 'racist' and 'fundamentally unjust'. Leading progressive Democrat Rep. Ayanna Pressley praised the move as 'historic' and 'groundbreaking'.
Read more »
President Biden Should Commute All Federal Death SentencesThe very purpose of a 'corrections' department is to facilitate growth, transformation, and redemption. The death penalty is antithetical to that mission.
Read more »
Over 130 Civil and Human Rights Organizations Call on President Biden to Commute Federal Death SentencesNewswire Editor is a Common Dreams staff position.
Read more »