Death Penalty Debate Intensifies as Trump Pledges Restoration

An Unexpected Shift in US Criminal Jurisprudence

Death penalty debates in the United States are heightening as President-elect Donald Trump announces that he will be reinstating the contentious form of punishment after his inauguration. The bold announcement came in response to President Joe Biden’s decision to commute the death sentences of most prisoners on the federal government’s death row just a day earlier. By the end of Biden’s presidency, 37 out of 40 federal death row inmates saw their sentences commuted – a move that has seen wide-ranging reactions from praise to outrage.

The Restoration of Capital Punishment under Trump

Donald Trump has always positioned himself as a strong advocate for law and order. He has proven this once more by voicing his intent to “vigorously” pursue capital punishment for perpetrators of violent crimes during his term in office. Upon inauguration, Trump “will direct the Justice Department to vigorously pursue the death penalty to protect American families and children from violent rapists, murderers, and monsters,” according to a post on his Truth Social profile. His projected aim is to reinstate the United States as a “Nation of Law and Order”.

Unalterable Biden Commutations

It’s worth noting that Biden’s final acts of clemency cannot be overturned by Trump. While some believed these commutations undermined the concept of justice for victims and their families, it remains a fact that they are irreversible.

The Three Remaining Capital Sentences

Biden chose to leave three capital sentences uncommuted. The exceptions were for Robert Bowers in the Tree of Life Synagogue mass shooting case, Dylann Roof who was convicted for the Mother Emanuel AME church shooting, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, found guilty for the Boston Marathon bombing. The rationale behind this remains unstated, leading to further disputes and discussions within the international legal community and beyond.

Reactions from Victims’ Family Members: A Case Study

Reactions from the victims’ families highlight the two sides of the capital punishment debate. Donnie Oliverio, the partner of a murdered Ohio police officer, declared that the execution of his partner’s killer would not have provided any peace. However, Marissa Gibson, the widow of the officer, has denounced Biden’s decision as a “complete dismissal” of the justice system.

The Impact of Biden’s Decision

The impact of Biden’s actions and subsequent responses from Trump have once more brought the death penalty debate to the forefront of public discourse. Even as death penalty opponents laud Biden’s commutations, others question his “rank[ing] of victims”. Reverend Sharon Risher, related to several of Dylann Roof’s victims, calls for Biden to consistently apply his commutations across all federal and military cases.

A New Administration, a Promised Resurgence of Executions

Trump’s pledge to resume judicially sanctioned deaths overshadows the brief era of commutations under Biden. Despite his opposition to the death penalty, Biden finds his decisions being questioned as his term in office concludes. Trump’s threat to reignite the flame of federal executions is an ominous foreshadowing of what his presidency holds in store and a stark reminder of the harsh realities of his first tenure when 13 federal prisoners were put to death.

A Looming Shadow over the Nation

Undoubtedly, the imminent transition from Biden to Trump administration is set to rock the death penalty debate in the United States. Biden’s push for an end to the death penalty and Trump’s converse eagerness to reinstate it sharply highlight the underlying ideological differences and dispute. This begs the question: Can the nation truly maintain the course of ‘Law and Order’ through the reversal of accepted sentences? And with Biden’s commutation of majority of death sentences, has Trump’s hands been forced into irevocable action?

A Test of Trump’s ‘Law and Order’

We are at the threshold of witnessing the paradoxical interplay of law and order under Trump’s administration. While Trump perceives the reinstatement of the death penalty as an affirmation of law and order, opponents argue it conversely undercuts the very essence of justice. In the end, the Trump era in American death penalty jurisprudence promises to be a litmus test for the nation’s commitment to legal philosophy, human rights, and the principles of justice.

Originally Post From https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/24/trump-death-penalty-justice-department-biden-commutations

Trump Champions Vigorous Pursuit of Death Penalty Post Biden Commutations