A Post-Clemency Prosecution Shines a Light on a Broken System
Donald Trump commuted Philip Esformes' sentence, but the Justice Department is bent on sending him back to prison.
Donald Trump commuted Philip Esformes' sentence, but the Justice Department is bent on sending him back to prison.
At a recent congressional hearing, Republicans and Democrats sparred over clemency. But they share more common ground than they'd like to admit.
His bloody rhetoric undermines his defense of the sentencing reforms he proudly embraced as president.
Only two clemency applications from death row inmates in Louisiana have been granted in the past 50 years.
Sometimes he calls for freedom, and sometimes he preaches something darker.
Two damning investigations and a request from the state attorney general haven't been enough to stop the execution.
A Texas jury unanimously rejected Perry’s assertion that Garrett Foster pointed a rifle at him.
Philip Esformes' case is a story about what happens when the government violates some of its most basic promises.
Trump touted his support for sentencing reform as evidence of his "deep compassion," which DeSantis sees as a weakness.
The president reaped political benefits with his pre-election proclamation but has yet to follow through.
Today's scheduled execution is getting attention because she's trans. But the bigger story here is how she was sentenced to die.
Biden should exercise his pardon power to help some of the people whose lives his criminal justice policies destroyed.
The ACLU of Oregon is calling on other state governors to follow suit.
To be eligible for a pardon, patients will have to obtain cannabis from other states and document their diagnoses and purchases.
A protest at the White House calls attention to the thousands of federal cannabis offenders who remain incarcerated.
That seemingly large number represents a tiny share of simple possession cases, which are rarely prosecuted under federal law.
Even as he pardons thousands of marijuana users, the president stubbornly resists legalization.
The president's mass pardon does not extend to pot suppliers, and his rescheduling plans won't make marijuana a legal medicine.
Some conservative media outlets and politicians lambast the practice. But if you care about public safety, that opposition doesn't make sense.
A federal judge rules against effort to stop use of three-drug cocktail.
The 75 commutations announced today, while impressive compared to the pitiful records of previous presidents, pale beside a huge backlog of petitions.
More than a year into the Biden administration, promises to expand clemency, decriminalize marijuana, and end solitary confinement and the federal death penalty remain unfulfilled.
Christmas comes a few days early for 2,800 inmates who had told they’d eventually have to return to their cells to serve out their terms.
A new bill would transfer the review of petitions from the Justice Department to a presidentially appointed board.
Floyd was arrested for selling crack by a crooked Houston narcotics cop who repeatedly lied to implicate people in drug crimes.
Clemency for nonviolent offenders would still send white-collar and other offenders back to prison after they've started putting their lives together again.
The CARES Act allowed home release of nonviolent inmates during the pandemic. But after it's over, many will have to go back unless their sentences are commuted.
The president still has not caught up with most Americans on marijuana policy.
Press Secretary Jen Psaki repeatedly tried to muddy the issue by changing the subject to reclassifying marijuana.
Criminal justice groups say Biden should move the pardon process out of the Justice Department and consider categorical clemencies.
Some doable libertarian ideas for the new president
The controversy over Trump’s pardons and commutations highlights longstanding problems with clemency.
The president's final batch of clemency actions includes commutations for dozens of nonviolent drug offenders.
The Silk Road’s creator has a lot to teach drug prohibitionists.
Trump's clemencies last night surprised a lot of people—including one of the recipients. Clemency advocates are confident more are on the way.
Full pardons were given to the four contractors convicted of murdering Iraqis in a firefight in Baghdad.
The president has the worst record for clemency in modern history.
Granting clemency to nonviolent offenders like Alice Marie Johnson would be low on the list of priorities for Yates and Biden.
The president's daughter says "we’re just getting started." Some details would be nice.
Two years after commuting her life sentence, the president has pardoned Alice Marie Johnson.
The president's case rests on two accomplishments, while his plans for a second term echo the mindless toughness he intermittently condemns.
"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.
"They were not sentenced to death, and they should be released immediately."
The argument requires several controversial assumptions and leaps of logic.
Criminal justice reformers say federal prosecutors torpedoed clemency petitions in worthy cases.
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..
While the president seems sincerely concerned about "very unfair" drug penalties, it's not clear whether he thinks his work in that area is done.
The jury said they would have given Jimmy Meders life in prison without parole had it been available.