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John,
In a historic move last week, President Biden commuted the sentences of 1,500 people and pardoned 39 who were convicted of non-violent crimes. It is considered to be the largest single day act of clemency in American history.[1]
Earlier this month, Rep. Ayanna Pressley was joined by more than 60 of her colleagues in urging President Biden to take action before leaving office. Rep. Pressley stated:[2]
“In the remaining days of his presidency, I have called on President Biden to use his clemency power to change the lives of families across this nation—families who are disproportionately Black and brown, with loved ones behind the wall, suffering from injustices of the legal system. Specifically, I implore the President to consider pardons for those in federal custody with unjustified sentencing disparities, the elderly and chronically ill, people on death row, women punished for crimes of their abusers, and many, many more.”
President Biden has a chance to do what is just and what is right by using his pardon power for justice and pardoning thousands more non-violent people who are unjustly imprisoned.
Join us in calling on President Biden to do what’s right and use his pardon power for justice.
President-elect Trump has made statements that he plans to pardon those who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. In an interview with Time magazine for the Person of the Year issue, Trump said:[3]
“Well, we're going to look at each individual case, and we're going to do it very quickly, and it's going to start in the first hour that I get into office. And a vast majority of them should not be in jail. A vast majority should not be in jail, and they've suffered gravely.”
There are people who are far more deserving of clemency, to say the least: people who did not ignite a violent insurrection at our nation’s Capitol.
We call on President Biden to expand his use of clemency and pardon those who have been unjustly imprisoned or burdened with federal convictions. Justice requires more than words; it requires bold action to undo the harms of mass incarceration and discriminatory sentencing policies.
Add your name to urge President Biden to use his pardon powers to redress wrongs and deliver justice.
Thank you for all you do,
Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, CHN Action
[1]Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency
[2]Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s Statement on Presidential Pardon
[3]Read the Full Transcript of Donald Trump’s 2024 Person of the Year Interview With TIME
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