Editorial Board
Obama's Stingy Pardons
The president’s record on clemency doesn’t match his rhetoric.
More talk than action.
Photographer: Mark Wilson/Getty ImagesPresident Barack Obama granted 78 pardons earlier this month, doubling the total for his presidency -- and ensuring that it will not go down as the least forgiving in more than a century. Instead, it will probably end up as the second-least forgiving.
It’s a strange legacy for a president who has spoken so eloquently about the need for a more fair and rational criminal-justice system. It’s also a missed opportunity to notch a small victory for another issue the president is passionate about: voting rights.