Biden's Justice Dept. keeps hard line in death row cases
An Associated Press review of dozens of legal filings shows that President Joe Biden’s Justice Department is fighting just as vigorously as Donald Trump's did to uphold death row inmates' sentences, despite Biden's opposition to capital punishment.
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Court could reimpose Boston Marathon bomber's death sentence
The Supreme Court will consider reinstating the death sentence for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, presenting President Joe Biden with an early test of his opposition to capital punishment. The case wont be heard until the fall, and its unclear how the new administration will approach Tsarnaevs case. The initial prosecution and decision to seek a death sentence was made by the Obama administration, in which Biden served as vice president. AdBiden has pledged to seek an end to the federal death penalty, but he has said nothing about how he plans to do so. Even if the court were to reinstate the death sentence, nothing would force Biden to schedule an execution date.
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Big challenge: Biden is pressed to end federal death penalty
Action to stop scheduling new executions could take immediate pressure off Biden from opponents of the death penalty. But they want him to go much further, from bulldozing the federal death chamber in Terre Haute, Indiana, to striking the death penalty from U.S. statutes entirely. In the 22 states that have struck the death penalty from their statutes, none succeeded in passing the required laws without bipartisan support. Q: WILL BIDEN GET PUSHBACK IF HE SEEKS TO END THE FEDERAL DEATH PENALTY? Biden may also feel an obligation to do something big on the death penalty, given his past support for it.
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Prospect of 2nd Boston Marathon bomber trial brings anguish
But President Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday that the federal government must again seek the Death Penalty in a do-over of that chapter of the original trial." Yet, victims and their family members have long been divided over the death penalty for Tsarnaev. Others infuriated by the appeals court's decision say they are prepared to face Tsarnaev in court again, if need be. Liz Norden, whose two sons who each lost a leg, also hopes prosecutors continue to go after the death penalty. "I just think if we dont follow through with the death penalty in this type of crime, what would fit it?"
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Ruling renews fairness debate in Boston Marathon bomber case
A federal appeals court has overturned the death sentence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, Friday, July 31, 2020, saying the judge who oversaw the case didn't adequately screen jurors for potential biases. When it comes to death penalty cases, the U.S. Supreme Court has been much more pro-prosecution than many of the circuit courts, said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center. Should Friday's ruling stand, attention will shift to whether an impartial jury can be impaneled in a city still traumatized by the 2013 attack. Tsarnaev's defense team may renew its request to transfer the case out of Boston, where they have long contended public opinion is immutably slanted. Everybody in the community understands where Boston Strong came from, Dunham said.
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Court overturns Boston Marathon bombers death sentence
A federal appeals court Friday threw out Dzhokhar Tsarnaevs death sentence in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, saying the judge who oversaw the case did not adequately screen jurors for potential biases. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys office in Boston said they were reviewing the opinion and had no immediate comment. Prosecutors could ask the full appeals court to hear the case or go straight to the U.S. Supreme Court. In a concurring opinion, Judge Juan Torruella wrote that the case should never have been tried in Boston. "I see in Boston, where you have the animal that killed so many people during the Boston Marathon, Trump said.