In advance of the Thanksgiving holiday, today Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner released his 13th batch of clemency decisions. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, eight pardons were granted and over 200 were denied.

The highlight from this group of pardon decisions is Patrick McNamee, a man convicted of Reckless Homicide before going on to become a pilot in the Air Force. The Sun-Times article has more details about his interesting story.

Based on these numbers, it is likely that Gov. Rauner has completely worked through the clemency backlog that built up under former governor Rod Blagojevich and carried through to former governor Pat Quinn.

One of my clients was also included in the eight. So, congratulations to that person, to Mr. McNamee, and to the others that received their pardons today!

Ahead of Columbus Day weekend, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner released his twelfth batch of executive clemency decisions. In this batch, five petitions were granted and 235 were denied. According to the Governor's Office, fewer than 50 petitions remain from prior administrations.

Congratulations to those that received their long-awaited pardons! For those that are denied, I'm sure this will be a disappointment, but remember that you can always re-petition in the future. Keep working to rebuild your life and community, and eventually your pardon may come!

Illinois governor Bruce Rauner released his eleventh batch of clemency decisions ahead of Labor Day weekend. Included were eight clemency petitions granted and 118 denied. All eight clemency actions came in the form of a pardon with authorization to expunge the criminal record. The pardoned convictions included burglary, domestic battery, deceptive practice, criminal damage to property, attempted armed robbery, and aggravated battery.

According to the Governor's Office, there are fewer than 400 petitions remaining from the backlog that had built up under prior administrations.

As always, a warm congratulations goes out to all those receiving their pardons!

This afternoon, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner released his tenth batch of executive clemency decisions ahead of the 4th of July weekend. For this batch, Rauner decided on 157 petitions, granting seven and denying 150. Of the seven granted, six came in the form of pardon with authorization to expunge, while the other was a commutation of sentence. According to the governor's office, roughly 500 petitions remain in the backlog from previous administrations.

Congratulations to those receiving clemency, and happy Independence Day to all!

Today, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner released his ninth batch of executive clemency decisions just before the Easter weekend. Within this batch of petitions, he granted eight and denied 152. According to the Governor's Office, about 650 remain from the backlog of petitions he inherited when taking office.

Congratulations to those that received their pardons, and good luck to those still waiting!

In advance of the long holiday weekend, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner released his eighth batch  of clemency decisions yesterday, granting two and denying 98. According to the Governor's office, roughly 800 petitions remain in the backlog of clemency decisions.

Congratulations to those that received their long-awaited clemency! We hope to see more joining you soon.

On Friday, January 15, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner issued 154 decisions on clemency petitions, granting five. According to the Governor's office, just over 900 petitions remain from the backlog built up during prior administrations.

Congratulations and Happy Martin Luther King Day to those granted clemency! For everyone else, remember that your time may still so keep hope alive!

In advance of Christmas, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner released his sixth batch of executive clemency decisions today. Of the 254 clemency petitions acted on, seven were granted. All seven clemency actions came in the form of pardons with the authorization to expunge the cases from their criminal record. The linked article includes the list of the seven that received the pardons. According to Governor Rauner's office, about 1,000 clemency petitions remain in the backlog.

Congratulations to those receiving their pardons! I'm sure your good tidings will make for a great holiday season. For those denied or pending, have a Merry Christmas and keep hope alive because your time may still come.

Today, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner released his fifth batch of decisions on executive clemency petitions. The Governor will typically issue clemency decisions ahead of major holidays, with this Thanksgiving being no exception. This batch consists of 210 decisions, with 10 of them being granted. According to Governor Rauner's Office, there are still roughly 1,200 petitions pending in the backlog now. Most of the backlog built up under former Governor Blagojevich.

Congratulations and Happy Thanksgiving to those receiving their pardons! I'm sure that you will have plenty to be thankful for. For those denied or still pending, enjoy your holiday as well and don't give up hope because your time may still come.

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner released 170 executive clemency decisions on this Friday before Labor Day weekend. He granted seven petitions and denied 163. This is Governor Rauner's fourth set of petitions since taking office. According to the Governor's office, nearly 1,500 petitions remain in the backlog built up under previous administrations.

As always, congratulations to those that were granted clemency! For those that were denied or are still pending, don't give up hope! Your chance may still come.