All articles tagged with #clemency
Brian Cole Jr. is charged with transporting and using explosives after allegedly placing pipe bombs at the DNC and RNC on Jan. 5, 2021; his lawyers argue that Trump’s broad Jan. 6 clemency applies to him, potentially dismissing the case, but officials dispute the scope of the pardon and its applicability to pending charges.
A lobbyist and attorney, Josh Nass, was arrested in Manhattan on an extortion charge tied to a client who had received a presidential pardon. Nass had been paid to press for clemency for Joseph Schwartz, a former nursing-home executive, and allegedly tried to collect a remaining $500,000 by threatening Schwartz’s son, with investigators recording conversations in both Russian and English. The case underscores conflicts around clemency lobbying and private extortion schemes in the Trump era.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey commuted 75-year-old Charles 'Sonny' Burton's death sentence to life without parole after determining he wasn't the shooter in the 1991 AutoZone killing; Derrick DeBruce fired the fatal shot. Burton was scheduled for execution by nitrogen gas, and the clemency marks Ivey's second death-penalty clemency since taking office in 2017. Supporters and jurors argued it would be unjust to execute Burton when the actual shooter faced a different fate.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey commuted 75-year-old Charles 'Sonny' Burton's death sentence to life without parole after determining the actual killer, not Burton, was responsible for the victim's death; Burton was set to be executed by nitrogen gas, and this marks Ivey's second death-penalty clemency since taking office in 2017.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey commuted the death sentence of Charles ‘Sonny’ Burton to life without parole, citing it would be unjust to execute Burton while a co-defendant who actually fired the fatal shot faced a different sentence, in a 1991 AutoZone robbery tied to a killing.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey commuted the death sentence of death-row inmate Charles “Sonny” Burton, sparing him from an upcoming March 12, 2026 execution as supporters gathered outside the Governor’s Mansion to urge clemency.
Alabama plans to execute 75-year-old Charles “Sonny” Burton by nitrogen gas for a 1991 Talladega AutoZone robbery-murder, even though he left the store before the shooting and did not witness it; supporters urge clemency arguing the shooter received life and Burton’s conviction rests on participation in the felony, while Gov. Ivey has not indicated any intervention; the case highlights Alabama’s ongoing use of nitrogen hypoxia in executions.
Charles “Sonny” Burton, 75, on Alabama’s death row for capital felony murder tied to a 1991 AutoZone robbery in which the shooter killed a man, argues he did not kill anyone and is seeking clemency or a stay; advocates note the disparity of punishing a non-shooter and urge the governor or the Supreme Court to intervene, while Gov. Ivey has said there are no plans to grant clemency and several jurors and the victim’s daughter support mercy.
Alabama is set to execute Charles 'Sonny' Burton, a death-row inmate who did not kill anyone, under the felony murder rule tied to a 1991 AutoZone robbery in Talladega. Burton says he left the store before the fatal shooting by a accomplice; prosecutors argue he led the robbery. Despite pleas from the victim’s daughter and some jurors, Gov. Ivey has shown no sign of clemency. If carried out, the execution would use nitrogen gas, a method Alabama has employed since 2024. The case highlights concerns that felony murder can punish people who did not fire the fatal shot, a debate echoed in other cases as clemency remains rare.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis is reportedly considering commuting Tina Peters’s nine-year sentence for attempting to influence a public official in the 2020 election, potentially freeing the Mesa County clerk who helped expose security-access issues. Peters’s lawyer says a clemency decision could come soon, a move Trump supporters have urged, while election officials and Democrats argue against special treatment and emphasize accountability.
Democrats in Colorado’s General Assembly say Gov. Polis should not commute Tina Peters’ nine-year prison sentence, pushing back on his comparison to a separate case and urging accountability for Peters’ role in breaching election security; Polis has indicated he’s reviewing clemency and has raised concerns about sentencing disparities, while the Peters case awaits appellate review and potential parole in 2028.
DOJ documents released with Epstein/Maxwell files reveal a 2006 call in which Donald Trump told Palm Beach police chief Michael Reiter that Epstein was “disgusting” and Maxwell was “evil,” and said he had expelled Epstein from Mar-a-Lago. The disclosure comes as Maxwell’s lawyers push for clemency and amid ongoing investigations surrounding Epstein’s case.
Elizabeth Holmes has filed a clemency request with the Department of Justice asking President Donald Trump to commute her 11-year prison sentence for defrauding investors, potentially freeing her nearly six years early. Holmes is serving at Federal Prison Camp Bryan, Texas, after her 2022 conviction; an appeals court upheld the conviction and $452 million restitution against her and Sunny Balwani in 2025, and the White House will decide on pardons or commutations.
Trump has dramatically expanded federal clemency in his second term, issuing a large number of pardons and commutations—including a second pardon for Adriana Camberos in a separate case—and rolling out a sweeping set of pardons tied to January 6 and other political allies. His pace far exceeds that of Biden or Obama, aided by a dedicated pardon czar, Alice Marie Johnson. The clemency power applies only to federal charges, with pardons erasing convictions and commutations reducing sentences.
President Trump granted a pardon to Adriana Camberos, a San Diego woman whose sentence was commuted in 2021 after a 2016 conspiracy to counterfeit 5‑Hour Energy drinks; she was later convicted in 2024 of a separate multimillion‑dollar grocery-fraud scheme, and the pardon comes amid a wave of clemencies with little public justification from the White House.