The death penalty is a matter in this nation that doesn’t get discussed as often as other politics. Traditionally, many conservatives have favored the death penalty while liberals and left-wingers opposed it. Some states have the death penalty, while others do not.
The Biden administration’s coming into power has shaken things up, to say the least. The 46th president appears hellbent on undoing everything that Trump accomplished over the past four years; hence, this explains why Biden has passed more executive orders in the first days of his presidency than multiple former presidents combined.
Now, Newsmax is reporting that with Biden in the White House, the death penalty may soon be off the table.
A Possible Shut Down of the Death Penalty
According to White House officials, the 46th president is taking a very hard look at stopping the death penalty. Should this happen, Biden would instruct the Justice Department to simply cease scheduling upcoming executions.
"Because we cannot ensure we get death penalty cases right every time, Biden will work to pass legislation to eliminate the death penalty at the federal level, and incentivize states to follow the federal govt's example."
– @JoeBiden's campaign site, 2020
How about it, @POTUS?
— NADP (@N_A_D_P) January 29, 2021
Shutting down the death penalty is a pretty big deal. As such, questions naturally came up about it during Friday’s daily White House press briefing.
Jen Psaki, the press secretary for the Biden administration, remained rather tight-lipped about it; rather than Psaki saying that she’d have to “circle back,” the press secretary instead claimed that she didn’t have any updates on this matter.
Challenges to Ending the Death Penalty
If the current president moves to do away with the death penalty, he’ll face some challenges. First and foremost, barring the congressional passing of a bill that eliminates the federal death penalty, a new president in the future could simply re-enact capital punishment after Biden’s time as president ends.
From using the Defense Production Act to contain COVID-19 to taking action to reunite families separated at the border — it was another busy week. pic.twitter.com/Z4DYMvWUvQ
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 7, 2021
Aside from backlash from Republicans, Biden may also alienate certain members of his own party by pushing to eliminate the death penalty. In cases of terrorism and race-motivated killings, some more moderate-leaning Democrats may find themselves hard-pressed to explain why individuals like Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Dylann Roof shouldn’t be put to death.
Many Democrats are on board with ending the death penalty; however, there are others who view this matter as a lose-lose scenario, especially when it comes to politics.
What are your thoughts on the death penalty? Do you believe that Joe Biden will instruct the Justice Department not to schedule any additional executions? Be sure to share your thoughts about this latest news in the comments section below.
