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Governor Quinn Releases New Year's Eve Clemency Decisions, Including Posthumous Pardons for Abolitionists 

12/31/2014

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Governor Quinn is continuing his charge to whittle down the backlog of petitions for executive clemency.  The New Year's Eve batch has 310 decisions, with 102 being granted.  That brings Quinn's new total of clemency decisions to 4,272 since taking office.  He has granted 1,520 and denied 2,752.

Of the 102 clemency petitions granted, three were for abolitionists convicted in the 19th century of harboring runaway slaves.  As we pointed out last year, Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon worked to get these pardon petitions filed on behalf of the abolitionists.

For all those granted clemency on this last day of 2014, congratulations!  Now 2015 can be the start of the next chapter of your lives as you say goodbye to days long ago.
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Governor Quinn Acts on 604 Clemency Petitions on Christmas Eve

12/24/2014

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In one of his final batches of executive clemency decisions before leaving office, Governor Quinn granted 179 petitions and denied 425 this Christmas Eve.  That brings Quinn's total number of clemency decisions to 3,962 with 1,418 of them granted.

A separate Christmas Eve article in the Chicago Tribune examined the state of clemency petitions in Illinois, while detailing a couple of petitioners seeking pardons based on their claims of innocence.  Although Quinn has a good track record of granting pardons for petitioners showing rehabilitation, he has been far more hesitant to grant pardons declaring the innocence of those wrongfully convicted.  The article is well worth the read, and not just because I am quoted in it (though that never hurts).

Congratulations to all of you receiving clemency on this holiday!  Now that you can move on with your rights restored and your convictions expunged, I am sure that this will always be remembered as a very merry Christmas.
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Bruce Rauner's Staff Makes Encouraging Statements About the Governor-elect's Position on Executive Clemency

12/10/2014

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Now that Illinois has elected a new governor into office, a big concern for many is what will be Bruce Rauner’s position with regard to executive clemency petitions.  With the last two governors, Illinois has seen opposite ends of the spectrum for mercy of those rehabilitated from their criminal records.  Former governor Blagojevich ignored clemency petitions, allowing a backlog of over 2,500 to build up under his watch.  Governor Quinn, on the other hand, has done a very good job of chipping away at that backlog by granting pardons throughout the entirety of his tenure.  Since taking office, Governor Quinn has decided on 3,358 clemency petitions, granting 1,239.

So where will governor-elect Rauner be on the spectrum?  Based on recent statements, he should land closer to Quinn than to Blagojevich.  In an editorial by the The State Journal-Register, in which they call for continued action on the clemency backlog, the paper states that governor-elect Rauner “intends to make clemency and pardon decisions a priority for his administration.”  Rauner’s spokesman, Mike Schrimpf, recently told the The State Journal-Register, “(Rauner) will thoughtfully review requests for clemency and implement a fair process for all parties involved.”

We expect Rauner to hold true to this promise while in office.  It is encouraging to hear that he understands that the executive clemency power, which is a responsibility imposed by the Illinois Constitution, is one that should be used to help the rehabilitated people of this State.  Obviously, words are meaningless unless his actions follow up on them.  However, at least we know that he appreciates the importance of the pardon power and that he holds the livelihoods of many individuals in his hands.

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    We provide criminal defense legal services in Illinois, focusing on the expungement and sealing of criminal records. 

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