Biden issues 39 presidential pardons and commutes 1500 sentences
U.S. President Joe Biden issued presidential pardons to 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes and commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 people.
The White House called it the most presidential pardons issued in a single day. He did not name the people involved in the incident.
The U.S. Constitution provides that a president has “power to reprieve and pardon, except in cases of impeachment, for crimes against the United States.”
Biden issued a controversial pardon to his son Hunter earlier this month, continuing a trend of presidents pardoning people close to them.
In announcing the move, Biden said those pardoned had “demonstrated successful rehabilitation and are committed to making their communities stronger and safer.” His non-violent convictions included drug offenses.
The sentence reductions were for hundreds of people placed under house arrest during the Covid-19 pandemic and facing sentences that Biden deemed too long under outdated laws.
“They showed that they deserve a second chance,” Biden said.
Providing further details on the move, the White House said the recipients included a decorated soldier and pilot who helped church members, a nurse who helped distribute the Covid vaccine, and an addiction counselor.
Biden promised “further action will be taken in the coming weeks.”
The President will leave the White House on January 20, 2025, when his successor Donald Trump will be sworn in.
Biden previously had a record of pardoning fewer people than most presidents in recent U.S. history.
However, he had issued several categorical amnesties in the past. These are pardons granted to a large number of people who fall into a category determined by the president.
Biden issued a full amnesty for those convicted of simple marijuana possession in October 2022 and later expanded it to other marijuana-related crimes.
Earlier this year, Biden once again granted full amnesty to military personnel and veterans convicted of a crime due to their sexual orientation.
According to the Pew Research Center, Trump issued 237 pardons during his first term in the White House. These included 143 amnesty and 94 sentence reductions.
Many people were in a rush before leaving office.
Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter earlier this month was a continuation of a trend by presidents on both sides of the US political divide – including Trump – to grant pardons to people close to them.
Biden Jr. He was facing prison time on two criminal cases.
The move proved controversial because the outgoing president had previously refused to do so. However, he claimed that the cases filed against his son were politically motivated.
Biden also considered issuing preemptive amnesty for prominent figures who criticized him in order to protect them from reprisals after his successor Trump took office, but it was reported that he was worried about the precedent this would set.