WASHINGTON (AP) — President Biden commuted the sentences of approximately 1,500 individuals released from prison and placed under home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also granted pardons to 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent offenses. This represents the most extensive single-day clemency action in recent history.
Thursday’s commutations apply to individuals who completed at least a year of home confinement following their release. Prisons proved highly susceptible to virus transmission, prompting some inmate releases as a mitigation strategy. At one point, according to an AP tally, [data omitted].
Biden stated his intention to continue reviewing clemency petitions and to take further action in the coming weeks. The second-largest single-day clemency initiative involved 330 grants by President Obama shortly before leaving office in 2017.
“America’s foundation rests on the promise of opportunity and second chances,” Biden declared in a statement. “As president, I am privileged to extend mercy to those demonstrating remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunities for Americans to participate fully in society and contribute to their communities. This also addresses sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offenses.”
This clemency follows [details omitted], who faced prosecution for firearms and tax-related crimes. Biden faces pressure from advocacy groups to pardon many individuals, including those on federal death row, before the Trump administration’s return. He is also considering preemptive pardons for those who investigated Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election and may face retribution under a new administration.
Clemency encompasses the president’s authority to pardon (absolving guilt and punishment) or commute sentences (reducing or eliminating punishment without exoneration). Presidents often grant clemency towards the end of their terms, utilizing their power to expunge records or end prison sentences.
Those pardoned on Thursday had been convicted of nonviolent crimes, such as drug offenses, and subsequently rehabilitated their lives, according to White House lawyers. Examples include a disaster response team leader, a church deacon working in addiction and youth counseling, a molecular biosciences doctoral student, and a decorated military veteran.
The president previously issued 122 commutations and 21 pardons. He also broadly pardoned individuals convicted of marijuana use and simple possession on federal lands and in Washington, D.C., and pardoned former service members convicted under a repealed military ban on consensual same-sex relations.
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and 34 other lawmakers are urging the president to pardon environmental and human rights lawyer Steven Donziger, imprisoned or under house arrest for three years due to a contempt of court charge related to his representation of Indigenous farmers in a lawsuit against Chevron.
Others advocate for Biden to commute sentences for federal death row inmates. Attorney General Merrick Garland halted federal executions. While Biden campaigned on ending the death penalty, he did not, suggesting executions may resume under the Trump administration. Trump oversaw a record number of federal executions during his first term, some occurring during the pandemic’s peak.
More clemency grants are expected before Biden leaves office on January 20th, but the possibility of shielding individuals from potential Trump-era prosecution remains uncertain. The president has seriously considered this, even before the election, but is concerned about setting a precedent, according to anonymous sources speaking to the AP.
However, recipients must accept pardons. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a member of the House committee investigating the January 6th insurrection, deemed a Biden pardon “unnecessary.” He felt the president shouldn’t focus on this issue in his final days in office.
Representative Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), another potential Trump target, stated this week that Trump’s threat to jail her and others “is a continuation of his assault on the rule of law and the foundations of our republic.”
Prior to pardoning his son, Biden repeatedly pledged not to. He later explained his reversal by citing politically motivated prosecution. This prompted criminal justice advocates and lawmakers to increase pressure on the administration to apply this power to everyday citizens. Public approval for this decision was low, with only about 20% supporting it, according to a poll from [source omitted].
