On the Pardon Power…

A tool for progress that’s been twisted and abused.

On June 17th, 2024, I pardoned 175,000 misdemeanor cannabis convictions.

It was the largest mass pardon in the history of the United States. But making history wasn’t the point – making life better for Marylanders was. You cannot celebrate legalization without reckoning with the consequences of criminalization.

During the signing ceremony, I met a few Marylanders impacted by the War on Drugs – including Shiloh. He was convicted of a minor cannabis offense after he dropped out of college. He was about to get a job after his conviction, but was fired on his second day at work because he didn’t pass a background check. And the only thing on his record was a cannabis charge!

I had the honor of wiping Shiloh’s record clean – along with countless other Marylanders across our state – because they shouldn’t have a scarlet letter on their record for something that is now legal in our state. It was one of the most moving days I’ve had as governor.

But no matter how important that moment was for the people of our state, I can’t shake a deep feeling that the consequences of misused pardons might outweigh the benefits.

The ability for an elected official to wipe clean someone’s criminal record is powerful. But the question is what we do with a tool that can simultaneously advance and roll back the cause of justice, depending on who issues the pardon? Can make our system more fair in the hands of one person, and less fair in the hands of another?

Donald Trump has pardoned the people who attempted a coup on January 6th, 2021. He has pardoned high-profile business magnates who have a stake in his family’s financial interests. He has pardoned allies and associates, often doling out clemency based on who is most loyal.

It is disgusting. It is a grift.

As thankful as I am to be one of only fifty-one people in the world who can pardon an American for crimes committed in violation of our laws, I would take it from all of us if it’s only going to be used for self-dealing and political gamesmanship.

Pardons can right the wrongs of the past. I know that they have here in Maryland. We’ve used the pardon to uplift those who have been denied justice.

But the thing is: Pardons do little to actually fix the foundation of what’s broken. Maybe instead of more pardons, what we need is a more just system.

One where individuals are held fully accountable for their actions, but where honest second chances are possible for those ready to return to society and contribute.

Elevate,
Wes