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President Bush issues holiday week batch of pardons and one more commutation

By Douglas A. Berman

The AP is now reporting here that the second batch of lame duck pardons from President Bush were announced today.  Here are the basics: Before leaving for the holidays, President Bush commuted one prison sentence and granted 19 pardons, including one to a man who helped the Jewish resistance in the 1940s. With this latest batch, Bush has granted a total of 191 pardons and nine commutations. That's fewer than half as many as Presidents Clinton or Reagan issued during their two terms. Since the early press reports do not mention any other of the recipients, I am guessing Scooter Libby is not to be found on this latest list notwithstanding this week's call for a full pardon for Libby in this Wall Street Journal editorial.  Of course, the always terrific Pardon Power is the go-to place for continuing discussion and analysis of this batch of clemencies and of others still hoping and waiting for executive mercy this holiday season...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on December 23, 2008 (boomark / email).