Washington (AP) — After Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a moratorium to halt federal executions a few months into his term, a significant shift in policy was observed. He suspended all federal executions, in stark contrast to the 13 carried out by his predecessor in just six months. The move aligned with President Biden’s pledge to abolish the death penalty, leading to the Justice Department taking on no new death penalty cases.
However, this changed on Friday as federal prosecutors announced their decision to seek capital punishment for a white supremacist who killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket. This marks Garland’s first approval of a new capital prosecution, bringing a new chapter in the long and complicated history of the death penalty in the United States.
President Biden campaigned on a promise to abolish the death penalty, but amidst this rhetoric, the Justice Department under Garland’s leadership has significantly reduced the use of capital punishment. Despite this, the department has also shown a continued willingness to pursue it in certain cases.
Under Garland, the Justice Department has reversed more than two dozen decisions to seek the death penalty, including for alleged gang members accused in the deaths of two teens in New York. The department has authorized the continuation of only two death penalty cases inherited from the previous administration.
In the recent Buffalo case, 20-year-old Payton Gendron pleaded guilty to driving across the state to specifically target a predominantly Black neighborhood and carrying out the attack with a weapon marked with racial slurs and phrases. The decision to seek the death penalty for Gendron marks a contentious moment in the ongoing debate over capital punishment, raising questions about the trajectory of the Justice Department’s stance on the issue.
Moreover, the decision not to pursue the death penalty in another high-profile mass shooting targeting Hispanic people that left 23 people dead in an El Paso Wal-Mart highlights the complexities and considerations involved in such cases. Amidst the ongoing debates and legal battles, the pursuit of justice through the death penalty remains a polarizing issue, with advocates and critics voicing their concerns and perspectives on the matter.