Lisa Desjardins:
Amna and Geoff, most of the people affected by this grant have been serving sentences under home confinement, thanks to provision put in place during the COVID epidemic.
Now their sentences have been commuted. In addition, 39 people have had their convictions fully pardoned, all for nonviolent offenses, including drug offenses. The list includes Americans who served time for crimes committed in their teens or early 20s, and several are military veterans.
Until now, Biden has approved fewer clemencies than most recent presidents.
Mark Osler is a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, an expert on presidential clemency. And he joins us now for a deeper dive.
Mark, thank you so much.
Clemency is a unique power of presidents. And, to start, I just want to go over terms, remind our audience what we’re talking about. A pardon is something that forgives a crime and allows that person to regain some status, including the ability to vote. Commutations reduce penalties, including jail time or sometimes fines, but they don’t change their status.
You said this is a big day, including for one of your clients, who is one of those who was pardoned. To help us understand this group, can you talk about her and what this pardon means?