President Joe Biden announced on Thursday a historic wave of clemency, commuting the sentences of over 1,500 individuals on house arrest and pardoning 39 people convicted of nonviolent offenses. The move marks the largest single-day clemency action by a U.S. president in modern history.
Together, these actions build on the President’s record of criminal justice reform to help reunite families, strengthen communities, and reintegrate individuals back into society,” said the White House in a statement. “The President has issued more sentence commutations at this point in his presidency than any of his recent predecessors at the same point in their first terms. “
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The announcement comes on the heels of President Biden’s highly criticized pardon for his son, Hunter Biden. That pardon, which covered more than a decade of potential offenses, drew intense backlash from critics who accused the president of undermining his party’s recent messaging that “no one is above the law.” The phrase had been a focal point in Democratic critiques of charges against President-elect Donald Trump.
The Hunter Biden pardon sparked bipartisan scrutiny, with detractors arguing that it set a troubling precedent in contrast to Biden’s broader clemency initiatives.
In Thursday’s announcement, the White House emphasized Biden’s efforts to address inequities in the justice system. Among the notable pardons and commutations, Biden became the first president to issue categorical pardons to individuals convicted of marijuana use or possession and to former LGBTQI+ service members convicted of conduct criminalized due to their sexual orientation.
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The administration hinted that more clemency actions are forthcoming. “These efforts reflect the president’s commitment to criminal justice reform and addressing systemic injustices,” the White House added.
The sweeping clemency has drawn mixed reactions. Advocates for criminal justice reform praised the decision as a critical step toward addressing over-incarceration and reintegrating individuals into society. Critics, however, questioned the timing and potential political implications following the controversial pardon of Hunter Biden.
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