In 2013, a terrorist attack took place in Boston, Massachusetts, during the Boston Marathon.  NPR has stated that “The U.S. Supreme Court has reinstated the death penalty for Dzhokar Tsarnaev, the convicted Boston Marathon bomber.” It is explained on NPR that the supreme court reversed the decision in a 6-3 majority vote. The New York Times states “The majority sided with the Biden administration in ruling that the federal appeals court had erred in overturning the death sentence a jury handed down for Mr. Tsarnaev’s role in the bombings.” In the majority opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote, “Dzhokhar committed heinous crimes. The Sixth Amendment nonetheless guaranteed him a fair trial before an impartial jury. He received one.” The debate was controversial due to the idea of the death penalty which would cause problems in the life of President Biden and his campaign. TIME reports, “….it also highlights a rift between Joe Biden’s campaign pledge to end the federal death penality and his Justice Departments requests that Supreme Court reinstates Tsarnaev’s death sentence.” The Hill reports that “at the anti-capital punishment Biden administrators urging – to reinstate the death penalty against Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokar Tsarnaev.”

Britannica reports that the two responsible for the marathon bombing were Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Further reports from Britiniaca explain how Tamerlan Tsarnaev was apprehended, and later pronounced dead from injuries. Dzhokar Tsarnaev was apprehended and later found guilty on 30 counts in connection with the bombing and 17 of those with the possibility of the death penalty. Britannica reports, “In July of 2020 a federal court vacated the death sentence against Tsarnaev.”

Britannica reports that this is a marathon that takes the route from Hopkinton, Massachusetts to Boston’s Bay back neighborhood. More than 26,000 runners participated in this race. This race marked the 117th race to occur. Britannica reports that “About five hours into the race, the first bomb exploded less than a half a block from the finish line, on the north side of the Boylston Street. Roughly 12 seconds later a second bomb exploded some 600 feet from the first.” History.com reports that, “…killing three spectators and wounding more than 260 other people.”

With this being said justice has been served in the eyes of The Supreme Court and President Biden’s decision to go against his campaign. After much discussion, reexamination, the ending result is the death penalty reinstated. Through the years the Boston Marathon in 2013 is memorialized in the eyes of many. The pain is never forgotten, and people today still report on the feelings that were felt that day. Reuters stated in an article that “Nordens’ two adult sons lost their right legs. Borgard sustained hearing loss and Brian injury,” and “ …the attack killed three people and wounded 264….” The pain was brought upon many innocent people and the courts and President Joe Biden found reason within this pain to reinstate the death penalty.