Legal News

Ebbers Trying to Join the Bush Pardon Party

By Amir Efrati

Former WorldCom Inc. CEO Bernie Ebbers, who was convicted in 2005 for his role in accounting fraud at the firm, has asked President Bush to commute his 25-year prison sentence. Here’s yesterday’s story from Reuters.

Last week the president granted 14 pardons and two commutations but has so far used his Constitutional power sparingly. (A pardon erases the conviction and restores basic civil liberties, while a commutation can reduce or eliminate a prison sentence.) Ebbers (pictured, right) joins a growing list of high-profile figures who have submitted clemency petitions to the Justice Department, which reviews petitions and makes positive or recommendations to the president. Some of the most prominent recent applicants:

Marion Jones, former Olympic sprinter who asked to have her six-month sentence eliminated

Michael Milken, Wall Street pioneer of junk bonds, who was released from prison in 1993 and has hired Gibson Dunn’s Ted Olson to help with his pardon petition

Conrad Black, former newspaper baron serving six years for fraud and obstruction of justice

George Ryan, former Illinois governor whose application to commute his sentence for corruption charges is supported by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin

Edwin Edwards, the former Louisiana governor who has served most of his 10-year, extortion-related sentence and whose clemency application is supported by former U.S. Senators John Breaux and J. Bennett Johnston

Randy “Duke” Cunningham, former U.S. Representative who is serving an eight-year sentence for taking bribes

LB readers: Do any of these people deserve clemency, or would President Bush be stepping into Marc Rich-like controversy if he approved any of the applications?

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said Marion Jones was a swimmer. Too much Michael Phelps in the news these days.

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on December 04, 2008 (boomark / email).