Presidential pardons
I don’t like getting into national politics because Lawrence keeps me quite busy and tempers and emotions flair so rapidly that people become irrational. But, there is one comment that I’ve heard repeatedly regarding the pardons President Trump is granting and I set out to find out how he compares to other presidents. That is a constitutional power given to all presidents.
First I want to explain the difference between “clemency,” “pardon,” and “commutation of sentence.”
Clemency under the criminal justice system is the act of government extending mercy to a convicted individual. In the United States, clemency is granted by a governor for state crimes and by a president for federal crimes.
Pardon is an executive forgiveness of crime; a pardon wipes out the conviction while a commutation leaves the conviction intact but wipes out the punishment. Commutation is a form of clemency used often by governors.
Commutation. The president may substitute a less severe punishment in place of the punishment originally imposed. A sentence may be commuted when facts become known that were not known at the time of sentencing, or that came to light and were developed after. Commutation is rarely granted but can occur in cases of old age, illness, and when the sentence is unusually harsh compared with similar cases. When a sentence is commuted, the recipient doesn’t get back the rights of a citizen (only a subsequent pardon can do that, which sometimes happens).
Here is a list of presidential pardons and commutations since the Second World War:
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt granted 3,687 pardons in his four terms in office.
Harry Truman
Democratic President Harry S. Truman pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 2,044 people. 1523 people convicted of violating the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940; full pardon.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 1,157 people.
John F. Kennedy
Democratic President John F. Kennedy pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 575 people.
Lyndon B. Johnson
Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 1,187 people.
Richard Nixon
Republican President Richard Nixon pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 926 people.
Gerald Ford
Republican President Gerald Ford pardoned, commuted, or rescinded the convictions of 409 people.
Jimmy Carter
Democratic President Jimmy Carter pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 566 people, and in addition to that pardoned over 200,000 Vietnam War draft dodgers.
Ronald Reagan
Republican President Ronald Reagan pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 406 people.
George H. W. Bush
Republican President George H. W. Bush pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 77 people.
Bill Clinton
Democratic President Bill Clinton pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 459 people.
George W. Bush
Republican President George W. Bush pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 200 people.
Barack Obama
Democratic President Barack Obama pardoned 212 people and commuted the sentences of a further 1,715 people.
Obama holds the record for the largest single-day use of the clemency power, granting 330 commutations on January 19, 2017, his last full day in office. He also has issued more commutations than the past thirteen presidents combined.
Donald Trump
As of June 6, 2018, Republican President Donald Trump has issued five pardons and two commutations.
What were they thinking?
At the recent cookout offered to our veterans, City Councilor Ana Levy showed up with a handful of flags from the Dominican Republic. Other Dominicans like Councilor Pavel Payano who were present didn’t think that it could be interpreted as disrespectful at an event thanking American veterans.
No more bikinis for Miss America
The Miss America pageant is no longer judging on beauty and they are eliminating the swimsuit competition and that’s good news.
Contestants now will be judged in an interactive session with the judges highlighting her achievements and goals in life. Also how she will use her talents, passion, and ambition to perform the job of Miss America.
I never liked beauty pageants precisely for that reason: judging women on how they look in an era when women have so much to offer. That began as a swimsuit competition over 100 years ago when looking at scantily dressed women was a treat for many.
I might even watch it next time!
