A record-setting 1,500 people have been granted clemency and 39 have been given pardons by President Joe Biden, the most ever granted in one day by any president.
That is in addition to the sweeping 10-year pardon Biden granted this month to his son Hunter for crimes known and unknown that took place between 2014 and December of 2024.
The president’s press release said this is part of his record of criminal justice reform and that he is reviewing even more people to pardon.
“The President has issued more sentence commutations at this point in his presidency than any of his recent predecessors at the same point in their first terms. He is also the first President ever to issue categorical pardons to individuals convicted of simple use and possession of marijuana, and to former LGBTQI+ service members convicted of private conduct because of their sexual orientation. In the coming weeks, the President will take additional steps to provide meaningful second chances and continue to review additional pardons and commutations,” the White House said.
The 39 individuals who received pardons had been convicted of non-violent crimes, such as drug offenses.
In listing all the clemency and pardon actions in his administration, the president made mention of three pardons and 75 commutations he granted in 2022, 31 commutations in 2023, 11 pardons and 16 commutations in December of 2023 and April of 2024, but he avoided mentioning his pardon of Hunter Biden on Dec. 2, which came two weeks before Hunter was to be sentenced for various crimes involving drugs and firearms.
- In October 2022, Biden issued a full, complete, and unconditional categorical pardon for anyone convicted for the offense of possession of marijuana. He expanded that in 2023, issuing total pardons for several other marijuana charges.
- In June 2024, Biden issued a full, complete, and unconditional categorical pardons to certain former military service persons convicted of offenses based on their sexual orientation, “specifically unaggravated offenses based on consensual, private conduct with persons age 18 and older occurring between May 31, 1951, and December 26, 2013, as well as attempts, conspiracies, or solicitations of such conduct.”
Tthere is more to come, the White House said.
“President Biden will continue to review clemency petitions and deliver criminal justice reform in a manner that advances equity and justice, promotes public safety, supports rehabilitation and reentry, and provides meaningful second chances,” the statement said.
Unstated by the White House is his likely review of pardons for possible criminal actions by everyone from Hillary Clinton to Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, as well as sitting and former lawmakers who used the legal and legislative system as a campaign tool against presidential candidate Donald Trump.
The list of all pardons, clemencies, and commutations issued by Biden through Dec. 1 can be found at this Department of Justice link. Many of them are for selling or possessing cocaine, crack, meth, and other hard drugs. Some are for money-laundering and acting as an unregistered foreign agent. The additional 1,539 have not been added yet to the database but will be at a later, unknown time.