Everyone Biden Has Granted Presidential Pardons and Commutations

39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes

On December 12, Biden pardoned another 39 people who, according to the White House, "were convicted of non-violent crimes, including drug offenses, and have turned their lives around":

These individuals are parents, veterans, health care professionals, teachers, advocates, and engaged members of their communities. Many of them have used their experiences in the criminal justice system to inspire and encourage others.

Most of the people pardoned committed drug offenses in their early 20s or younger. The full list of the 39 people, along with short biographies provided by the White House, is here.

Hunter Biden

Biden's most controversial pardon, by far, has been for his son. On December 1, the president ordered a broad pardon for Hunter Biden despite having vowed he would never do that. Hunter was about to be sentenced on federal tax evasion and gun charges, but Biden's pardon went beyond that — "For those offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014, through December 1, 2024" — in an effort to protect his son from additional charges that might be brought by the incoming Trump administration.

37 of the 40 prisoners on federal death row

On December 23, Biden commuted the sentences of nearly all of the federal inmates on death row. 37 will now serve life sentences without the possibility of parole, and three — Tree of Life synagogue mass shooter Robert Bowers; Emmanuel church mass shooter Dylann Roof; and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev — remain sentenced to die.

Biden insisted he didn't forgive the crimes of the prisoners whose sentences he commuted. "Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss," he said in his announcement. Though the commutations were supported by a number of activist groups and Pope Francis, the move is sure to ignite a political controversy.

During his 2020 presidential campaign, Biden had vowed to end the federal death penalty, but was ultimately unable to get legislation to do so through Congress during his administration. There was a DOJ moratorium on the practice during his presidency.

No federal prisoners had been executed in nearly two decades until the final six months of Donald Trump's first presidency, when the Justice Department executed 13. Trump is an avowed fan of the death penalty, and called for expanding the practice during his second presidential campaign.

Nearly 1,500 federal prisoners who were released to home confinement during the pandemic

On December 12, Biden commuted the sentences of 1,499 people who "have been serving their sentences at home for at least one year under the COVID-era CARES Act. These Americans have been reunited with their families and shown their commitment to rehabilitation by securing employment and advancing their education."

The Biden administration claimed this was the most people ever granted clemency on a single day, but previous categorical grants of clemency by Biden and former president Jimmy Carter affected more people. It's the third time Biden has commuted the sentences of people who were moved to home confinement amid the pandemic.

As the New York Timesnotes, some GOP lawmakers in Congress have pushed for legislation to send people who were released to home confinement during the COVID pandemic back to prison.

The mass-commutation continues to spark backlash, however, including from fellow Democrats, as it appears as though the White House didn't really vet everyone on the list.

1) The ACLU and other progressive orgs called on Biden to grant clemency to all incarcerated people who'd been granted home confinement under the CARES Act. Biden did as they asked.

2) Biden probably shouldn't have listened to them, and vetted the list of beneficiaries instead. https://t.co/smupwmvCzZpic.twitter.com/GBh6OlTG5z

— Eric Levitz (@EricLevitz) December 14, 2024

Here are some of the inclusions that have drawn scrutiny:

Former Pennsylvania judge Michael Conahan
In 2011, Conahan and another judge were convicted for wrongly sending juveniles to for-profit detention centers in exchange for millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks. (Four thousand juvenile convictions were later thrown out after the "Kids for Cash" scheme was exposed.) Conahan's 17-year prison sentence was due to end in 2026, and he had been serving that sentence under home confinement since 2020. Sandy Fonzo, whose son died by suicide after being sent to a juvenile detention center, called Biden's commutation "deeply painful" in a statement. Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro publicly criticized Biden, as well. "I do feel strongly that President Biden got it absolutely wrong and created a lot of pain here in northeastern Pennsylvania," Shapiro said. "[Conahan] deserves to be behind bars, not walking as a free man."

Paul Daugerdas, a notorious tax cheat
As NBC News reports:

A former law partner from Illinois, Paul Daugerdas, was convicted of overseeing fraudulent tax shelters — at a cost to the government of more than $1.63 billion. The scheme generated over $7 billion of fraudulent deductions, according to prosecutors. His law firm agreed to pay a $76 million penalty. Prosecutors called Daugerdas "the most prolific, pernicious and utterly unrepentant tax cheat in United States history," while a judge described the case as "the biggest tax fraud prosecution ever," according to Forbes. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2014; Biden commuted his sentence.

Jim Carlson, who ran a synthetic-drug ring in Minnesota
Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar said Sunday that she was sure some of the commutations were deserved, but "there were a number that I think make no sense at all" after referencing Carlson's case. Here's the Star-Tribune's summary of his crimes:

Jim Carlson, a head shop owner found guilty in 2013 on dozens of felony charges after experts said he sold enough synthetic drugs to cause a public health crisis in Duluth, had his sentence commuted Thursday as one of nearly 1,500 convicted criminals granted clemency by President Joe Biden. Carlson received a 17½-year sentence after a jury found him guilty on 51 of 55 felony counts for selling synthetic drugs from his store in downtown Duluth. … Prosecutors alleged Carlson sold synthetic drugs that were misbranded as incense, potpourri, bath salts and glass cleaner, while using employees as guinea pigs to test how the unregulated drugs worked on customers.