What You Need To Know About The Pardon Attorney Office
Pardon attorney Office DoJ : Clemency is a difficult process on both ends. It's difficult for applicants to get recognized by the President. And for the President, it is nearly impossible to consider each and every clemency petition. The Pardon Attorney Office exists for these reasons. The Office helps the clemency application and approval process.
While the President has exclusive power to grant clemency petitions, the Pardon Attorney manages each petition leading up to the President's approval.
Pardon Attorney Office Doj in National Headlines
In recent years, the Pardon Attorney Office doj has come under fire. Most notably, perhaps, was with President George W. Bush's pardon attorney, Ronald Rogers. Rogers supposedly misrepresented the facts of an application submitted by Clarence Aaron, who was serving a triple life sentence for a drug-related charge. Rogers advised President Obama to deny the petition, even though the judge and prosecutor supported granting the pardon.
Criticisms of the Pardon Attorney Office DOJ
Common cited reasons in protest of the Pardon Attorney Office are that it is understaffed and politically motivated.
Since Donald J. Trump took office, 2,319 petitions for pardon or commutation of a sentence have already been filed. Only 1 has been granted. The Pardon Attorney Office staff has hardly grown in the past 20 years, but petition filings have rapidly increased. These are the petition filing numbers for the past four presidents, beginning with President Obama:
- Obama: 36,544
- Bush: 11,074
- Clinton: 7,449
- Bush (one term): 1,466
The need for a strong petition is greater than ever. That need, however, can't be met without a strong attorney. Without counsel, it is much more likely that a petition will be denied or tossed out. Call us today at 802-444-4357 for help with your clemency petition.