Official announcements from the White House or Department of Justice

President Biden Grants Largest Single-Day Clemency, Pardoning 39 and Commuting 1,500 Nonviolent Offenders

Dec 12, 2024, 08:02 PM

President Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of approximately 1,500 individuals and pardoned another 39 people, including three Texans, marking the largest single-day act of clemency in modern U.S. history. The action focuses on individuals convicted of nonviolent crimes, many of whom were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic. The White House describes this move as an effort to give a second chance to those who have rehabilitated themselves. The announcement comes amid mounting pressure on Biden to use his clemency powers more broadly.