Wednesday, February 26, 2025
The Pardon Czar
So in the good news department....
I was thrilled to see President Trump announce that Alice Marie Johnson will be his "Pardon Czar." Of course, we will have to wait to find out exactly what that means, since it is not a position that has ever existed before. Hopefully, she will work closely with our excellent Pardon Attorney, Liz Oyer.
Alice was a remarkable leader going back to when she was in prison-- really a legend within the community there for the organizing she did to make things better for incarcerated women. Amy Povah (among others) pushed for her freedom for years, listing her as the #1 best case for clemency. Yet, Alice was denied three times in the Obama years.
One afternoon during the first Trump administration, I was asked to come on CNN to talk about the rumor that Trump might pardon the late boxer Jack Johnson (which he did). I took the opportunity to talk about a different Johnson, Alice, and she actually was watching from prison.
In freedom, she has continued to be a beacon of hope and push for a more active use of clemency. Now she has a great platform to do just that. So... that IS good news!
