CNN
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President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he is commuting the sentences of about 1,500 people and pardoning 39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes, a significant use of presidential clemency power just weeks after the end of Biden’s term.

White House officials called Thursday’s move the largest one-day act of clemency in modern history. The president, who is coming under increasing pressure to grant more clemency requests before he leaves office and who controversially granted a pardon to his son Hunter earlier this month, also promised that further action will be announced in the coming weeks.

“America was built on the promise of opportunity and second chances,” Biden said in a statement released shortly after CNN reported the upcoming announcement early Thursday morning. “As President, I have the great privilege of showing mercy to people who have shown remorse and rehabilitation, restoring the opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities, and taking steps to restore the… “To eliminate sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, particularly those convicted of drug offenses.”

The nearly 1,500 people whose long prison sentences will be commuted on Thursday have been placed in home quarantine during the Covid-19 pandemic and are considered to have shown a clear commitment to rehabilitation and reintegration into their communities, sources said . The 39 people who were pardoned were convicted of non-violent crimes and are believed to have a proven track record of providing meaningful service to the country.

“These are individuals who have secured jobs, advanced their education, served as caregivers for their children and family members and have truly integrated themselves back into the fabric of their communities,” an administration official familiar with the announcement told CNN. “This includes people who have faced incredible challenges in life and have now shown real resilience and are trying to overcome those challenges.”

While CNN has not obtained a complete list of names of clemency recipients, sources provided several examples of people who have been pardoned.

Among them: A decorated military veteran is said to have spent much of his time helping members of his community, including the sick and elderly; a nurse credited with helping during natural disasters and spearheading vaccination efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic; and an addiction counselor recognized for his commitment to mentoring young men of color.

Thursday’s announcement is expected to be widely celebrated by human rights activists, advocacy groups, Democratic lawmakers and the families of those receiving the commutations and pardons.

As the president’s first term comes to an end, calls for Biden to exercise his clemency power more aggressively and broadly before new President Donald Trump takes office are growing louder – including by releasing several dozen inmates from federal death row. (Biden has publicly opposed the death penalty.)

Biden has previously pardoned military veterans convicted of homosexual sex – previously a crime under military law – and has also pardoned people convicted of marijuana possession.

Thursday’s news follows Biden’s decision to grant his son Hunter a full and unconditional pardon, after repeatedly insisting for several months that he would not do so. The move sparked uproar, including from some of the president’s allies and fellow Democrats who questioned his decision to go back on his word.

Anita Dunn, a former senior adviser to the president, said last week that the move struck her as “extraordinarily bad timing.”

Biden’s pardon of his son, the administration official stressed, has not influenced his overall thinking about using his pardon power.

“The President has expressed his views on clemency and how he can use the power of clemency to make our country more just and equitable and to address some of the past wrongs that we have seen and continue to see in the criminal justice system the case.” “The President is currently reviewing the petitions, which he will consider in the coming weeks,” they said.

With less than six weeks left until the end of Biden’s term, the president is expected to provide further relief.

“I will take further steps in the coming weeks,” Biden said. “My administration will continue to consider clemency petitions to advance equal justice under the law, promote public safety, support rehabilitation and reintegration, and provide meaningful second chances.”

According to sources, the president has consulted with White House counsel Ed Siskel and lawyers in the counsel’s office about a range of clemency options. The White House attorney’s office has also consulted with the Justice Department’s pardon attorney.