US President Joe Biden issued a presidential pardon for 39 Americans convicted of non-violent crimes, and commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 other people.
The White House described it as the largest number of presidential clemency acts issued in a single day. The names of the people involved were not mentioned.
The US Constitution states that the president has “broad power to grant reprieves and pardons for crimes against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.”
Earlier this month, Biden issued a controversial pardon for his son Hunter, continuing the recent trend of presidents pardoning people close to them.
In announcing the move, Biden said the pardoned people “have demonstrated successful rehabilitation and demonstrated a commitment to making their communities stronger and safer.” Their non-violent convictions included drug crimes.
The reduced sentences were for hundreds of people placed on home confinement during the Covid-19 pandemic, who were facing sentences that Biden considered too long.
Biden said they “showed they deserve a second chance.”
Providing more details about the move, the White House said those who received relief included a veteran, a military pilot who helped fellow church members, a nurse who helped with the Covid vaccine rollout, and an addiction counselor.
Biden promised “more steps in the coming weeks.”
The President will leave the White House on January 20, 2025, when his successor, Donald Trump, is inaugurated.
Biden previously had a record of pardoning fewer people than most presidents in modern US history.
Trump granted 237 pardons during his first term in the White House, according to the Pew Research Center. These rulings included 143 pardons and 94 reduced sentences.
Many were in disarray before he left office.
Biden's decision earlier this month to pardon his son Hunter comes in continuation of the trend of presidents on both sides of the American political divide – including Trump – granting pardons to people close to them.
Biden Jr. was facing sentencing in two criminal cases.
The move proved controversial, as the outgoing president had previously ruled out such a move. But he claimed that the cases against his son were politically motivated.
