Biden Grants Clemency to 1.5K in a Day, Sets a Record

President Biden is commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 former federal inmates placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic in what the New York Times notes is "the largest grant of clemency by an American president in a single day." Biden made the announcement in a Thursday statement, saying those on home confinement under the CARES Act "have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities and have shown that they deserve a second chance." He also noted many of these individuals "would receive lower sentences if charged under today's laws, policies, and practices."

Biden said he is also pardoning 39 people "who have shown successful rehabilitation and have shown commitment to making their communities stronger and safer." They are serving sentences for nonviolent crimes, including possession of marijuana. The White House said Biden is "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." It also said the commutations show his commitment to "help reunite families, strengthen communities, and reintegrate individuals back into society" and teased more "second chances" in the coming weeks. (There are calls for him to commute all federal death sentences.)