A resolution condemning the commutation of the death sentence of Anthony George Battle granted by President Biden on December 23, 2024.
This bill is a Senate resolution that expresses the sense (opinion) of the U.S. Senate condemning President Joe Biden’s December 23, 2024 commutation of Anthony George Battle’s death sentence. Introduced by Senator Tom Cotton, the resolution states that Biden undermined the rule of law, harmed victims’ interests, and acted for political reasons rather than principle. It recounts Battle’s crimes—killing his wife, a U.S. Marine, and, while in federal custody, murdering a correctional officer—along with Battle’s alleged lack of remorse. The resolution characterizes the commutation as an insult to victims and asserts that Biden’s rationale about opposing the death penalty was inconsistent. This is a nonbinding statement of the Senate. It does not change law or policy, but it signals the breadth of opposition within the Senate to the President’s decision and can influence public and legislative discourse on the death penalty and presidential clemency.
Key Points
- 1It is a sense-of-the-Senate resolution condemning President Biden’s December 23, 2024 commutation of Anthony George Battle’s death sentence.
- 2The resolution reiterates that Battle murdered his wife, a U.S. Marine, and was serving a life sentence at the time of the death of correctional officer D'Antonio Washington, including the purported lack of remorse Battle showed.
- 3It argues that the commutation undermines the rule of law and disrespects victims.
- 4It asserts that Biden’s stated principled opposition to the death penalty is contradicted by commuting Battle and 36 others, while not commuting certain other inmates, implying political motivation.
- 5The resolution concludes with the Senate’s unequivocal condemnation of the commutation.