The conservative-led U.S. Supreme Court appeared in favor of reinstating the death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev after hearing arguments in the case Wednesday. A federal appeals court overturned the execution last year, but Biden’s Justice Department is arguing to bring back his death sentence. Conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett questioned the motivations of the federal government during the hearing.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett: “I’m wondering what the government’s end game is here. So, the government has declared a moratorium on executions, but you’re here defending his death sentences. And if you win, presumably that means that he is relegated to living under threat of a death sentence that the government doesn’t plan to carry out.”

During the 2020 presidential campaign, Joe Biden pledged to work toward eliminating federal capital punishment.