Interesting state pardon stories

Though President Bush’s stingy approach to pardons is getting the media and blog buzz, the stories of state governors considering pardons and clemencies this time of year are likewise compelling.  (Tuesday morning’s great Washington Post editorial merits extra credit for contrasting Bush’s approach on these issues to that of republican governors in California and Maryland.)

A few recent newspaper articles capture some of the poltical and human dynamics that surround state pardon and clemency decision-making.  The titles of the articles alone provide a sense of the drama:

• from Missouri, we get Nun makes passionate case for pardon of Missouri prisoner
• from Washington, its Yakima prosecutor objects to governor’s clemency
• and West Virginia gives us Wise tackles inmates’ petitions.

In addition, linked at the end of this post are earlier stories about pardons issued by governors in South Dakota and Vermont.