US President Joe Biden yesterday commuted the sentences for 37 out of 40 federal inmates on death row, converting them to life in prison without parole before he hands over power to President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20.

Biden's move will frustrate Trump's plan to resume a rapid pace of executions. Unlike executive orders, clemency decisions cannot be reversed by a president's successor, although the death penalty can be sought more aggressively in future cases.

Trump restarted federal executions after a nearly 20-year pause during his first term in office from 2017 to 2021.

Biden, who ran for president opposing the death penalty, put federal executions on hold when he took office in January 2021.

In recent weeks, he has faced pressure from congressional Democrats, opponents of capital punishment and religious leaders such as Pope Francis to commute federal death sentences before he leaves.

"Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss," Biden said in a statement.