Biden's Marijuana Reforms Are Long Overdue but Will Have Just a Modest Impact
The president's mass pardon does not extend to pot suppliers, and his rescheduling plans won't make marijuana a legal medicine.
Pardons
The U.S. Imprisoned a Civil Rights Leader on Bogus Charges in 1917. Will Biden Pardon Her Now?
A new petition seeks a posthumous pardon for Callie House.
Biden Begins Using Clemency To Ameliorate the Damage Done by the Draconian Drug Policies He Long Supported
The 75 commutations announced today, while impressive compared to the pitiful records of previous presidents, pale beside a huge backlog of petitions.
Colorado Gov. Polis Commutes 110-Year Sentence for Trucker in Deadly Crash, Pardons Hundreds of Marijuana Convictions
Rogel Aguilera-Mederos faced harsh punishment under the state’s mandatory minimum sentences for insisting on the right to a trial.
Would an Independent Commission Solve the Clemency Backlog?
A new bill would transfer the review of petitions from the Justice Department to a presidentially appointed board.
Thousands Beg President Joe Biden for Mercy as He Pardons a Couple of Turkeys
The annual photo op takes on cruel undertones as drug offenders continue to suffer under harsh federal prison sentences.
A Pending Pardon for George Floyd Shows How the Drug War Gives Cops a License To Lie
Floyd was arrested for selling crack by a crooked Houston narcotics cop who repeatedly lied to implicate people in drug crimes.
743 Years and 3 Months. 117 Years. 51 Years. Why Are These Men's Sentences So Long?
For possessing a gun while committing a crime—even when no one is killed—too many defendants are slammed with sentences decades or even centuries longer than justice demands.
Presidential Mercy Is a Woefully Inadequate Remedy for Injustice
The controversy over Trump’s pardons and commutations highlights longstanding problems with clemency.
Lil Wayne, Steve Bannon, and Some Drug War Victims Pardoned, but No Assange, Snowden, or Ulbricht
Plus: Pelosi wants 9/11-style commission to investigate Capitol attack, MyPillow drama, and more...
Freeing People Who Don't Belong in Prison Is Praiseworthy, No Matter Trump's Motives
The president's final batch of clemency actions includes commutations for dozens of nonviolent drug offenders.
Can President Trump Pardon Himself?
The Constitution's words, history, and structure suggest the best answer is no. He can't plead, "I beg my pardon."
Trump's Pattern of Self-Serving Pardons Continues
President Trump's use of the pardon power confirms Anti-Federalist fears more than did his predecessors'.
Trump Pardons 26 More, Including Paul Manafort and Roger Stone
The list also included several drug war victims.
Trump's Latest Round of Pardons Includes George Papadopoulos, GOP Congressmen, Blackwater Guards
Full pardons were given to the four contractors convicted of murdering Iraqis in a firefight in Baghdad.
The Prosecution of Julian Assange Is an Assault on the First Amendment
Though journalists tend to despise the WikiLeaks founder, his fate could impact the future of their profession.
Former Judge Michael Luttig on Why the Pardon Power Does Not Encompass Self-Pardons
A pardon is something granted, like a gift, and it is presumed one cannot grant something to themselves.
Another problem with self-pardons
A "self-pardon" might bring about exactly the prosecution it seeks to avoid.
The Pardon Power May Be Broad, But that Does Not Mean a Self-Pardon Would Be Legit
President Trump pardoned a turkey and an agent of Turkey. Will he give himself a lame duck pardon next?
Will Anybody Besides Michael Flynn Get Mercy from Lame Duck Trump?
The president has the worst record for clemency in modern history.
Presidential Pardons Offer Trump a Way to Go Out on a Positive Note
If Trump isn’t interested, maybe the Biden administration could get started with a few acts of mercy.
Snowden Announces Plans To Become Russian Citizen
The surveillance whistleblower has a child on the way and little sign a pardon is forthcoming.
Trump Grants Clemency to 5 More Federal Prisoners
All five cases were recommended to the White House by commutation recipient Alice Marie Johnson.
Trump Pardons Inmate-Turned-Activist Jon Ponder and Praises 'Second Chances'
"I will continue to give all Americans, including former inmates, the best chance to build a new life and achieve their own American dream," Trump said.
Susan Rice Tries To Turn Possible Snowden Pardon Into Attack on GOP
All the worst people are still mad he blew the whistle on government snooping.
Should Schools Be Fully Reopened in the Fall?
The Reason Roundtable weighs in on the latest coronavirus policy debate.
President Trump's Use of the Pardon Power
An analysis finds that Trump is both more stingy and more self-serving than his predecessors in how he has used the pardon power to date
Trump Commutes Ally Roger Stone's Prison Sentence
Stone was set to report to federal prison to serve 40 months for lying to Congress and witness tampering.
Elizabeth Warren Adopts Cory Booker's Plan for a Better Presidential Clemency System
Shifting the process from the Justice Department to the White House can help eliminate bureaucracy and meddling from prosecutors.
Would a Presidential Pardon for Roger Stone Be Unconstitutional?
The argument requires several controversial assumptions and leaps of logic.
Trump White House Considering Limiting Justice Department Influence Over Pardons
Criminal justice reformers say federal prosecutors torpedoed clemency petitions in worthy cases.
Trump Uses Clemency To Help Drug War Victims, Reward GOP Donors, and Spite James Comey
Plus: China boots three reporters, megacities are getting a smaller share of growth than they used to, and Dems gather to debate in Las Vegas..
Imprisoned Leaker Reality Winner Seeks Mercy From Trump
She’s nearly three years into a five-year sentence for releasing classified documents showing Russian attempts to hack U.S. election systems.
As the Dismissed Charges Against Paul Manafort Show, New York Democrats Love Double Jeopardy When It Hurts Trump's Cronies
Recent revisions to state law will facilitate such duplicative prosecutions of people associated with the president.
New Kentucky Governor Restores Voting Rights to 140,000 Nonviolent Felons
Meanwhile, outgoing Gov. Matt Bevin made some controversial pardon choices as he headed for the door.
Trump's Shameful Pardons for War Criminals Undermine America's Moral Authority
Pentagon brass, who urged the president not to issue these orders, fear that the president's actions will undermine the system of military justice.
Aaron Sandusky Has Spent 7 Years in Prison for Selling Medical Marijuana
Obama denied him clemency. Will Trump set him free?
Trump Mulls Commutation for Disgraced Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich
While the president's mercy might be self-serving, it's not necessarily wrong.
New York Legislators Approve Double Jeopardy for Trump Cronies to Protect 'the Rule of Law'
The bill allows dual prosecutions of people in the president's orbit who receive pardons or commutations.
70 Years After They Were Wrongly Imprisoned, the Groveland Four Have Been Pardoned
The criminal justice system failed four black men after a white woman accused them of rape.
Trump Pardons Oregon Ranchers Convicted in Brush Fire Case
Steve and Dwight Hammond became a cause célèbre for angry ranchers and another example of inflexible mandatory minimum sentences.
Trump to Kneeling NFL Players: Tell Me Who I Should Pardon
The president has discovered the power of the pardon. Could that make this a moment for criminal justice reform?
Reason Totally Called the Masterpiece Cakeshop Case: Podcast
After oral arguments last year, Stephanie Slade correctly observed that "justices might have found a sort of get-out-of-jail-free card." Also on the Reason Podcast: Bill Clinton, Roseanne, Samantha Bee, Kim Kardashian, and maybe the worst celebrity of the week, Larry Kudlow.
Scooter Libby Aside, Presidential Pardons Are Good and Trump Should Issue Even More of Them
"I don't know Mr. Libby, but for years I have heard that he has been treated unfairly."
Price Gougers Are Heroes! [Podcast]
Reason editors discuss Hurricane Harvey, the pardon of Joe Arpaio, Al Franken 2020, Antifa, and more.
The Case for Pardoning Edward Snowden
Will Obama salvage his legacy on protecting whistleblowers?
NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden Suggests that Obama Pardon Him
It's a good idea and the right thing to do.
