Washington, D.C. — President Joe Biden’s decision to commute the sentences of all individuals currently on federal death row has drawn widespread praise from the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), which hailed the move as a historic step in addressing systemic inequities within the U.S. criminal justice system.
In a joint statement issued earlier today, CBC Chairman Steven Horsford (NV-04) and Chair-elect Yvette Clarke (NY-09), along with other members of the caucus, celebrated the president’s use of clemency powers as a landmark decision in the fight for racial and social justice.
“The Congressional Black Caucus has for decades advocated for reforms of our criminal justice system to ensure equal treatment of all people under the law,” the statement read. “Today, we join countless others in the civil and human rights space who, like the CBC, have for years advocated against the use of capital punishment at the federal level, in applauding the Biden-Harris Administration for this historic use of the president’s clemency powers.”
The federal death penalty, which has long been a flashpoint in debates over fairness and morality in the justice system, has been criticized for its disproportionate application to Black Americans and other people of color. According to a 2021 report by the Death Penalty Information Center, nearly 42% of inmates on federal death row were Black, despite Black Americans comprising only about 13% of the U.S. population.
President Biden’s action comes in the wake of his 2020 campaign pledge to work toward ending the federal death penalty and encourage states to follow suit. His decision builds on a broader criminal justice reform agenda that has included efforts to address mass incarceration, eliminate sentencing disparities, and invest in community-based violence prevention programs.
While Biden’s commutations effectively reduce federal death row sentences to life imprisonment without parole, the CBC called on the administration to take additional steps. “The death penalty in America is a fundamentally flawed and error-prone tool that has historically been disproportionately used against Black people and other people of color,” the statement continued. “We are calling for President Biden to expand on this work in the coming weeks by pursuing additional clemency and pardon actions under his authority.”
Advocates for criminal justice reform have long argued that the risk of wrongful convictions, coupled with systemic racial biases, makes the death penalty untenable. “This is a victory for justice,” said Nkechi Taifa, a civil rights attorney and founder of the Justice Roundtable. “But it is also a reminder that much work remains to be done to dismantle a system that often perpetuates inequality rather than correcting it.”
Opponents of the death penalty have framed it as an outdated practice that lacks deterrent value and imposes exorbitant costs on taxpayers. A 2020 Gallup poll showed that public support for the death penalty had dropped to its lowest level in half a century, with a majority of Americans favoring alternatives such as life imprisonment without parole.
For the families of victims, the debate is often more complex. While some view capital punishment as a necessary form of retribution, others see it as a painful prolongation of their grief. Advocates for abolition emphasize the need for restorative justice models that prioritize healing for victims’ families.
President Biden’s action leaves open the question of whether his administration will work toward legislative measures to permanently abolish the federal death penalty, a step that would require Congressional approval. With a divided Congress, such an effort could face significant challenges.
For now, the CBC’s endorsement underscores the significance of Biden’s move as a step toward addressing long-standing inequities in the justice system. “The president’s leadership on this issue sends a powerful message,” Horsford said in an interview. “It’s time for America to move beyond the death penalty and commit to a more humane and equitable vision of justice.”
This historic decision, though monumental, marks only the beginning of what many hope will be a broader reckoning with systemic racism in the criminal justice system—a goal the CBC and others pledge to continue pursuing.