President Donald Trump on Wednesday commuted the sentence of Alice Marie Johnson, who has already served 21 years of a life sentence for charges of cocaine possession and money laundering.
The presidential pardon power is limited only by shame and politics, one expert says, and Trump is beholden to neither.
On Wednesday, President Obama commuted the sentences of 214 people, the most issued in a single day since 1900.
Is this the beginning of a new trend in commutations?
Prisoners’ advocates call the reforms a step forward, but they don’t address discrimination in presidential pardons or apply to everyone serving harsh sentences from outdated guidelines.