Supreme Court rules to reinstate death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber

The 6-3 decision handed down by the top judicial body in the nation overturns a previous decision by a lower court, which had called for a new penalty phase.

"'Dzhokhar Tsarnaev committed heinous crimes. The Sixth Amendment nonetheless guaranteed him a fair trial before an impartial jury. He received one," Justice Thomas wrote.

Tsarnaev was convicted in the year 2015, and given the death penalty at the time. As it stands, however, the Supreme Court's decision notwithstanding, it may still be impossible to carry out a capital sentence against him and others in his situation.

As Rolling Stone reports, "even with the reinstated death penalty, it’s unclear whether Dzhokhar will receive capitol punishment in the near-future, as the Biden administration placed a moratorium on federal executions in 2021."

The bombing of the Boston Marathon, for which Tsarneav was convicted, took place on April 15 2013. The bomb, placed right on the finish line of the race, killed three people, and injured hundreds more at the time. It also sparked the desire to enact copycat incidents in various other areas of the country.

Tsarnaev, while still incarcerated, received government COVID stimulus checks during the pandemic, along with many other prisoners nationwide.