Editorial, New York Times, December 7, 2016
The Constitution gives presidents nearly unlimited authority to grant pardons and commute. In the last two years, Mr. Obama has directed the Justice Department to systematically review cases of people serving out sentences that would be far shorter had they been convicted under new, more lenient sentencing laws. While that clemency process has moved far too slowly — beset by both administrative obstacles and bureaucratic resistance — grants have been accelerating throughout 2016.
Mr. Obama has now shortened or ended the sentences of more than 1,000 prisoners. There are thousands more people deserving of release. In other words, for many federal inmates, their last hope lies in Mr. Obama’s hands. The idea of blanket commutations is being pushed by a coalition including former judges and prosecutors, who urged the president in a letter last week to use his clemency power aggressively while he still can.
The group called for the release of thousands more nonviolent offenders in low-risk categories, including elderly inmates, who are the least likely of all to commit new crimes, and those with convictions for drugs other than crack. The coalition argues that it is possible to make these grants in the short time remaining. He has only a few weeks left to ensure a measure of justice and mercy for thousands of people.