Biden commutes nearly 1,500 sentences, grants 39 pardons in largest clemency act

Nearly 1,500 sentences have been commuted and 39 individuals pardoned by President Biden in the largest single-day act of clemency in modern U.S. history, the White House confirmed.

“Today, I am pardoning 39 people who have shown successful rehabilitation and a commitment to making their communities stronger and safer,” Biden said in a statement released Thursday morning. “I am also commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people serving long prison terms – many of whom would receive lower sentences if charged under today’s laws, policies, and practices.”

Most of those receiving commutations had been placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic, the statement noted, adding that these individuals “have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities and have shown that they deserve a second chance.”

“The 39 individuals receiving pardons today were convicted of non-violent crimes, including drug offenses, and have turned their lives around,” an additional statement said. “These individuals are parents, veterans, health care professionals, teachers, advocates, and engaged members of their communities.”

Biden also confirmed plans to take further action in the coming weeks, with more clemency petitions to be reviewed before his administration ends in January.

The announcement follows Biden’s controversial decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, just weeks earlier, despite previously vowing not to do so. The move sparked criticism from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong,” Biden said in a statement. “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”