The Office of the Pardon Attorney assists the President in the exercise of executive clemency. Executive clemency may take several forms, including pardon, commutation of sentence, remission of fine or restitution, and reprieve.
LeadershipElizabeth G. Oyer
Pardon Attorney
Rosalind Sargent-Burns
Senior Deputy Pardon Attorney
Kira Gillespie
Deputy Pardon Attorney
On June 26, 2024, President Biden issued a proclamation that pardoned individuals with court-martial convictions under former Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for conduct that involved consensual, private acts with persons aged 18 or older. It also pardoned individuals convicted of attempts, conspiracies, and solicitation to commit a qualifying Article 125 offense under Articles 80, 81, and 82.
On March 29, 2024, President Biden issued a presidential proclamation once again marking April as Second Chance Month and calling upon government officials to observe the month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities. Visit PARDON’s Second Chance Month webpage to see how we celebrated.
On December 22, 2023, President Biden issued a proclamation pardoning federal offenses for simple marijuana possession. It expanded the relief given in his proclamation of October 6, 2022. The December proclamation applies to federal offenses under the U.S. or D.C. Codes and certain violations of the Code of Federal Regulations. It does not apply to state or local law.
