News · Page 2
Federal clemency guides and news, page 2
- Pardon vs. Commutation: Which One Fits Your Situation?
A commutation shortens a sentence you are still serving. A pardon forgives the crime, usually years after the sentence ends.
- Who Did Donald Trump Pardon in His First Term?
President Trump's first-term clemency grants, from Joe Arpaio in 2017 onward, with Justice Department totals.
- Will a Second Step Act Follow the First Step Act?
After the First Step Act passed in 2018, advocates asked what a second step would look like.
- It’s Time to Fix the Federal Clemency Process
When Congress lowers sentences but doesn't make the change retroactive, clemency is one of the few ways to help people already in prison.
- Reformers to Trump: Take Clemency Out of DOJ’s Hands (2019)
In February 2019, a group of reform advocates asked President Trump to move clemency review out of the Justice Department.
- The Presidential Pardon Power: What It Can Do and Its Limits
The President can pardon a federal crime or shorten a federal sentence. Here is where that power comes from and what limits it.
- The Manafort Pardon Debate and the Limits of the Pardon Power
In 2019, the possibility of a pardon for Paul Manafort sparked debate. It shows a key limit: a presidential pardon covers federal crimes only.
- Presidential Pardon Limits: What a Pardon Can and Can’t Do
The pardon power is broad, but it has limits. It covers federal crimes only, can't stop an impeachment, and doesn't erase a conviction.
- Presidential Clemency: How the President’s Mercy Power Works
Presidential clemency is the President's power to show mercy in federal cases. Here is how it works and where it came from.
- Executive Clemency: How It Works and How to Ask
Executive clemency requests are written petitions. The Justice Department investigates, and the President decides.
- The Pardon of Richard Nixon: What It Teaches About the Pardon Power
On September 8, 1974, President Ford granted Richard Nixon a full pardon. Here is why, and what it shows about the pardon power.
- Presidential Clemency Authority: Pardons, Reprieves and How to Ask
Where the President's clemency power comes from, how pardons, commutations, and reprieves differ, and how the process works.
- The Presidential Pardon in the Constitution: Where the Power Comes From
One sentence in the Constitution gives the President the power to pardon. Here is what it says and where it came from.
- The History of the Presidential Pardon
The pardon power came from the English king's power of mercy. Here is how it entered the Constitution and how Presidents have used it.
- Edward Snowden: Where Is He Now, and Could He Be Pardoned?
Edward Snowden leaked secret NSA documents in 2013 and has lived in Russia since. Supporters have campaigned for a presidential pardon.
- The Office of the Pardon Attorney: What It Does and How to Reach It
The Office of the Pardon Attorney is the Justice Department office that reviews federal clemency petitions and advises the President.
- Commutation meaning: what does it mean when a sentence is commuted?
A commuted sentence is a sentence the President has shortened. The conviction stays, but the punishment is reduced.
- Clemency Statistics: Pardons and Commutations by President
How many pardons and commutations each President has granted, based on Justice Department figures.
- The Presidential Turkey Pardon: A Thanksgiving Tradition
Every Thanksgiving, the President 'pardons' a turkey. Here is how the tradition started and why it isn't a real legal pardon.
- Clemency Meaning and Definition
Clemency means mercy from the President in a federal case, through a pardon, a commutation, a reprieve, or remission of a fine.