The White House announced today that President Joe Biden commuted the sentence of nearly 1,500 individuals who were “placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic.” He also pardoned 39 “non-violent” criminals. This is the largest single-day grant of clemency in history.
The statement goes on to say: “As the President has said, the United States is a nation of second chances. The President recognizes how the clemency power can advance equal justice under law and remedy harms caused by practices of the past.”
As President Biden enters the last few weeks of his presidency, moves like clemency are expected. There is a long tradition of presidents spending their last few weeks commuting sentences and pardoning criminals. Article II Section 2 of the Constitution grants the President the power to pardon: “he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.”
One of the most famous pardons in history was done by Gerald Ford who pardoned former president Richard Nixon after the Watergate scandal. President Donald Trump pardoned 144 during his first presidency, and he has discussed potentially pardoning those involved in the January 6th Capital riots as he stated that those incarcerated are “living in hell.”
President Biden will likely pardon many more throughout the next few weeks, with his biggest day of pardons likely on January 19th, the day before the inauguration of President Trump.
You can view previous clemency actions from the Office of the Pardon Attorney here.
