With just a few days left in his term as President of the United States, President Biden announced today that he is granting commutations to nearly 2,500 federal defendants. In a statement, President Biden announced:

“With this action, I have now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in U.S. history.” President Biden also stated that he “will continue to review additional commutations and pardons,” hinting that there may be even more grants coming before he officially leaves office on January 20th.

According to the White House, the individuals who received clemency had received sentences that were significantly longer than those that they would receive if convicted under the current laws today. President Biden indicated that many of the recipients were convicted for crack cocaine, which has a long history of receiving disproportionate sentences compared to other drugs. President Biden added,

“This action is an important step toward righting historic wrongs, correcting sentencing disparities, and providing deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their families and communities after spending far too much time behind bars.”

In December, Biden granted nearly 1,500 clemencies to individuals who were primarily on home confinement under the CARES Act. This most sweeping grant of clemencies appears to be aimed at non-violent drug offenders currently serving sentences that would be much shorter if they were sentenced today.

Given President Biden’s statements, it is entirely likely that we will see additional commutations and pardons in Biden’s final days in office.

You can view our article here for more information on the clemency process. If you are looking for experienced federal criminal defense attorneys to assist you or a loved one with seeking a pardon or clemency, reach out to us today at (303) 948-1489, or by email at [email protected].