Biden Grants Clemency to Nearly 2,500 Individuals in One Day

On Friday, January 17, President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of nearly 2,500 individuals convicted of non-violent drug offenses, in what the White House described as the largest single-day act of clemency in U.S. history.

The individuals whose sentences were commuted were serving what Biden described as “disproportionately long sentences” relative to current sentencing laws.

Biden emphasized that the decision was an important step in “righting historic wrongs, correcting sentencing disparities, and providing deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their families.”

He further stated, “With this action, I have now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in US history.”

President Joe Biden also suggested that he might issue further commutations or pardons before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Monday.

In December, Biden commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 individuals and pardoned 39 others, including his son, Hunter Biden, who was facing potential prison time over convictions related to gun and tax crimes.

Additionally, Biden has been reportedly considering granting blanket pardons to some of his allies and former officials, expressing concerns about potential “retribution,” a notion previously suggested by Trump.

Furthermore, Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 out of 40 inmates on federal death row. The three individuals excluded from this decision included the 2013 Boston Marathon bomber, a gunman who killed 11 Jewish worshippers in 2018, and a white supremacist responsible for the 2015 shooting at a Black church.

Trump, who has expressed his intention to resume federal executions, had halted them during Biden’s presidency.