President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he was granting clemency to nearly 1,500 people, a record number for a single day. This act will clear the sentences of a number of people who had previously been moved from prison to house arrest during the COVID-19 pandemic. The president also pardoned 39 individuals who were convicted of nonviolent criminal offenses. The moves comes as Biden is fielding calls to use his clemency powers more broadly before he leaves office.
