District of ColumbiaD.C. law let board waive some pardon applicants’ five-year wait
For up to 90 days after approval, D.C.'s Clemency Board could waive the five-year wait for pardon applicants who had a federal waiver and were not under supervision.
What it does
Until June 18, 2025, the board could waive the five-year wait after a written request and notice of a federal waiver. It could still say no, and applicants on probation, parole, or supervised release were ineligible.
Under the temporary act, the board had to put a pardon application on hold while it decided a waiver request. It then had to send the applicant a written decision.
Argument forEligible applicants who already had a federal waiver could have sought D.C. pardon review sooner if the board approved their request.
Argument againstApplicants could spend time providing extra information and waiting for a decision, even though the board could still deny the waiver.
More detail
The Clemency Board could waive the five-year waiting period for a pardon applicant. This applied to people seeking a pardon who requested a waiver in writing. The board had to receive notice that the U.S. Pardon Attorney or President had waived the federal five-year wait. The board could still deny the request. It could not grant a waiver to someone on probation, parole, or supervised release. After the mayor approved the act on March 20, 2025, this authority lasted until the act expired on June 18, 2025.
The board had to put the pardon application on hold and send its waiver decision in writing. This applied to applicants who requested a waiver of the five-year wait. The board could ask the applicant for more information or a meeting. The hold lasted until the board decided whether to grant the waiver.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed 1st Chamber
- Passed 2nd Chamber
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2025
- Mar 28Act A26-0027 Published in DC Register Vol 72 and Page 003320, Expires on Jun 18, 2025Latest
- Mar 20Returned from Mayor
- Mar 20Signed by the Mayor and Enacted with Act Number A26-0027, Expires on Jun 18, 2025Became Law
- Mar 11Transmitted to Mayor, Response Due on Mar 25, 2025To Governor
- Mar 4Final ReadingMinor
- Vote recorded Final Reading. Result: pass.Legislature
- Jan 21Retained by the Council with comments from the Committee on Judiciary and Public SafetyMinor
- Jan 10B26-0036 Introduced by Chairman Mendelson at Office of the SecretaryIntroduced
Criminal Justice