Congresswoman Has Led Efforts to Abolish Death Penalty, Commute Death Row to Save Lives

Earlier This Month, Pressley, Advocates Renewed Their Call for Clemency, Urged Biden to Commute Federal Death Row

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) issued the following statement commending President Biden for commuting the sentences of 37 individuals on death row and re-sentencing them to life in prison. For years, Congresswoman Pressley has led efforts to abolish the federal death penalty and has repeatedly urged President Biden to use his clemency authority to commute the sentences of individuals on federal death row and address mass incarceration.

“There is no action more powerful or righteous than sparing someone’s life, and today President Biden is doing just that. The President’s decision to commute the death sentences of 37 individuals on federal death row is a historic and groundbreaking act of compassion that will save lives, address the deep racial disparities in our criminal legal system, and send a powerful message about redemption, decency, and humanity.

“The death penalty is a racist, flawed, and fundamentally unjust punishment that has no place in any society. For far too long, it has been disproportionately weaponized against Black and brown communities, exacerbated systemic inequities, and failed to make America any safer—which is why we’ve urged the president for years to work with us to abolish the federal death penalty. By taking this historic action, President Biden is demonstrating the type of moral leadership this moment demands.

“This victory belongs to the organizers, advocates, and impacted families from every walk of life who work relentlessly to end the death penalty, and everyone who has worked with us to press for a more just criminal legal system. It is their unwavering commitment to the dignity and humanity of every person that has made this moment possible.

“I thank President Biden for heeding our calls and leading with compassion, and I encourage him to continue using his clemency authority in the final days of his presidency.”

Earlier this month, Congresswoman Pressley held a press conference to renew her calls for President Biden to use his clemency authority to commute the death sentences of the individuals on federal death row and resentence them to a prison term before leaving office.

Since 2019, Congresswoman Pressley has introduced and championed the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act, bicameral legislation to prohibit the use of the death penalty at the federal level and require re-sentencing of those currently on death row.

Congresswoman Pressley has also led calls for President Biden to use his clemency authority to address mass incarceration and reunite families. She applauded the President for granting pardons to 39 individuals and commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 individuals on home confinement, and has encouraged him to continue using that authority.

Rep. Pressley has been an outspoken advocate for abolishing the federal death penalty and her Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act is informed by her People’s Justice Guarantee, a comprehensive, decarceration-focused resolution that outlines a framework for a fair, equitable and just legal system.

• In July 2019, Rep. Pressley and Senator Dick Durbin introduced bicameral legislation to prohibit the use of the death penalty at the federal level and require re-sentencing of those currently on death row. The legislation was reintroduced in 2021 and 2023.
• In December 2024, on Human Rights Day, Rep. Pressley and advocates renewed their calls for clemency and urged President Biden to commute the death sentences of the individuals on federal death row and resentence them to a prison term.
• In November 2024, Rep. Pressley and her colleagues wrote to President Biden urging him to use his clemency authority to address longstanding injustices in our legal system before taking office, including by granting clemency to those on death row.
• In January 2024, Rep. Pressley and Senator Durbin issued a statement on the Department of Justice’s decision to seek the execution of Payton Gendron, who committed the heinous, racially-motivated mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket in 2022.
• In January 2023, Rep. Pressley and Senator Durbin submitted a comment letter in response to a Department of Justice (DOJ) Request for Information (RFI) regarding the regulations governing federal executions. 
• In March 2022, Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Supreme Court’s reinstatement of the death penalty in the Dzhokhar Tsarnaev case, urging passage of the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act, and calling on President Biden to take executive action to halt federal executions, commute the sentences of those on death row, and more.
• In December 2021, Rep. Pressley and Chair Raskin wrote to the Department of Justice requesting information about whether the DOJ plans to resume federal executions and procure pentobarbital sodium for use in such executions.
• In May 2021, Rep. Pressley announced that the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act now has the support of over 90 Members of Congress and 265 national and grassroots organizations across the country.
• In January 2021, Congresswoman Pressley and Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-MO) led more than 35 of their House colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden calling on him to commute the sentences of every person on federal death row. 
• Later that month, Congresswoman Pressley and Reps. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) and Robin Kelly (IL-02) wrote to then-Attorney General-nominee Judge Merrick B. Garland urging him to prioritize President Biden’s commitment to working with Congress to end the federal death penalty and incentivizing states to end capital punishment across the country. 
• In December 2020, Congresswoman Pressley led 41 of her House colleagues and three Representatives-Elect on a letter calling on President-Elect Joe Biden to end the use of the federal death penalty on his first day in office.
• In November 2020, Congresswoman Pressley and Senator Durbin, along with Senators Patrick Leahy and Cory Booker, wrote to Attorney General Bill Barr calling for a halt on all scheduled federal executions during the presidential transition period.

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