D.C. board weighs written requests to skip pardon wait

The D.C. Clemency Board may waive a pardon applicant's five-year waiting period. This applies to pardon applicants seeking to skip the five-year wait. The applicant must ask in writing. The board must receive notice from the Office of the Pardon Attorney that the Pardon Attorney or President granted the applicant a federal waiver of the five-year wait. The board may still refuse the request. It cannot grant a waiver while the applicant is on probation, parole, or supervised release. This temporary authority expires 225 days after the law takes effect.

The board must put the pardon application on hold and send its waiver decision in writing. These steps apply when a pardon applicant asks to skip the five-year wait. The board may ask the applicant for more information, including a meeting. The application stays on hold until the board decides whether to grant the waiver.