Biden Grants 1,500 Commutations, 39 Pardons, Setting U.S. Clemency Record

President Joe Biden granted commutations to nearly 1,500 non-violent offenders and pardoned thirty-nine others on Thursday, marking the largest single-day clemency action in U.S. history, according to the White House. The commutations mainly affect people placed on home confinement under the CARES Act and who have shown they have changed for the better. The pardons are for individuals like a military veteran, a disaster-response nurse, and an addiction counselor. The White House noted Biden’s record-setting use of clemency powers, including marijuana-related categorical pardons and pardons for former LGBTQI+ service members.