Spring 2008

Pardon attorney steps down

In January, U.S. Pardon Attorney Roger Adams stepped down as head of the Office of the Pardon Attorney, the agency that reviews requests for commutations and pardons and makes recommendations to the president regarding whether clemency should be granted or denied.

Adams’ departure came on the heels of a seven-month investigation and report by the Inspector General of the Justice Department which concluded that Adams made a racist remark about a Nigerian pardon applicant and threatened to retaliate against other employees who criticized his management of the pardon attorney’s office. Adams is now working in a different division of the Justice Department.

A recent opinion editorial in the New York Times described the pardon attorney’s office as being “in complete disarray” and facing an overwhelming backlog of applications (2,501 requests were still “pending” as of January 1). Many FAMM members have previously reported to us that they wait anywhere between two and seven years for an answer to their commutation requests, with few or no status updates in between.

Additionally, there is some evidence that the pardon attorney’s office may be rubber-stamping almost all clemency applications with a “no.” In December 2007, the White House sought applications it could grant. Not one of over 800 cases sent to the White House counsel’s office was recommended for clemency. Eight hundred other requests are apparently pending at the White House, and we believe that almost all carry recommendations of denial.

Many FAMM members have commutation petitions pending. The Inspector General’s report and Roger Adams’ departure could affect people seeking federal clemency. Whether the shake-up improves the office remains to be seen.

Ask Congress for clemency reforms

Congress needs to investigate the Office of the Pardon Attorney and ask Attorney General Michael Mukasey how he will fix it. FAMM members can help by asking Congress to call for clemency reforms. Click here to write to the chairmen of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, Rep. John Conyers, Jr. and Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, respectively.