Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Criminal Law Blogs -> Sentencing Law and Policy

Criminal Law

: Sentencing Law and Policy

"Obama backs secrecy for Bush pardon denials"

By Douglas A. Berman

The title of this post is the headline of this fascinating item posted by Josh Gerstein over at Politico. Here are the details While President Barack Obama has vowed to operate the most open and transparent administration in history, he does not appear to be seeking any advantage over his predecessor when it comes to letting the sun shine in on decisions about presidential pardons. In a brief filed Friday in a federal appeals court in Washington, the Obama Administration is fighting for the right to deny a journalist?s request for the names of 9200 individuals denied clemency by President George W. Bush and, by implication, the names of those who may be denied pardons by Obama down the road. ?Pardon and commutation applicants have a substantial privacy interest in nondisclosure of the fact that they have unsuccessfully sought clemency,? the Justice Department wrote in the brief opposing the request by former Washington Post reporter George Lardner Jr...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on March 30, 2010 (boomark / email).