Another round of holiday season clemency news
In this post a few days ago, I noted a few press stories about clemency grants from a few states. At that time, I stated that it was somewhat surprising and quite disappointing that there were not more executive officials making more use of their clemency pens in this holiday season. But it now seems I was a bit premature in my accounting, as now I see a few more state clemency stories in the news:
From California, “Newsom grants 10 pardons, including for drug crimes“
From Colorado, “Colorado governor commutes 4 inmates’ sentences, pardons 20 people, including state trooper who guarded Capitol“
From Massachusetts, “Whitmer grants 22 clemency requests, including 4 pardons“
From New York, “Hochul Grants Clemency to 13, Including a Domestic Violence Victim“
From Tennessee, “Gov. Lee Grants Executive Clemency to 16 Individuals“
From Texas, “Governor Abbott Grants Clemency To Two Texans Recommended By Texas Board Of Pardons And Paroles“
As I mentioned before, because I know of some clemency work that has not been covered in press pieces, I am sure there are more stories of seasonal grace than just what is covered in these press accounts. Still, I view it as a real shame that we do not see many more clemency accounts from many more state during this time of year.