First, I want to make some general comments about pardons and commutations of sentences.
President Barack Obama put a focus on granting clemency to those sentenced to extended drug sentences, offering more commutations of sentences than any president in a century.
Holder's hands-on approach and his initiatives to address mass incarceration and commutations of sentences for nonviolent offenders offered promise, yet remain unfulfilled.
Included in the president's pardon list were some other notable choices, including commutations of sentences for two women jailed on drug charges who had received longer sentences for their involvement than the people who ran the operations.
On Monday, in a joint press conference with the Finnish president, Trump expanded on these divisive topics (still repeating false information about Obama's commutations of sentences) in response to reporters' questions, even as Houston was set to get two more feet of rain on top of the two feet it had already sustained from Harvey.
Clemency, in the form of a commutation of sentence, is extremely difficult to obtain.
Mr. Bush could, however, issue a pre-emptive pardon or commutation of sentence for Mr. Stevens.
Commutation of sentence differs from pardon, which, if unconditional, removes the stigma both of the court decision and of the punishment and restores the person's civil rights; commutation does neither.
Though US officials have denied that a pardon or commutation of sentence for the convicted rebel has even been discussed, Jaramillo told the BBC this month that Trinidad would have to be part of any agreement with the Farc.
A pardon or commutation of sentence — some form of relief that would release Jamie and Gladys Scott from the hideous shackles of a lifetime in prison — is not just desirable, it's absolutely essential.
