Hello and Happy New Year to all! I have just received the official press list of the 20 individuals to whom Governor Pritzker has granted executive clemency authorizing expungement and I can advise that this list includes, as usual, people with both misdemeanor and felony convictions, ranging in nature from non-violent drug offenses to crimes of violence, including battery, unlawful use of a weapon and resisting a peace officer. There were several pardons authorizing expungement granted today for (retail) theft convictions and there was even one pardon with authorization to expunge a conviction involving domestic battery and endangering the life and health of a child. Some of these pardoned individuals spent time in prison while others were on probation or conditional discharge for a period of time. The most recent case appearing to be pardoned occurred in 2011, while the oldest dated back to 1975. I have no doubt that all of these people, like so many of us, made a mistake or two in their past but have moved on in a healthy and productive way, thus earning this highly coveted relief from the Governor. It is unclear to me at this point if any of these pardons with authorization to expunge granted today restored firearm ownership privileges to anyone.
In addition to granting these undoubtedly deserving individuals relief through the formal written pardon process, Governor Pritzker also granted relief today to over 11,000 people with minor cannabis offenses on their backgrounds, allowing them a fresh start as well.
Congratulations to everyone receiving a second chance and for those of you reading this with some blemishes still remaining on your own record, please consider reaching out to me for a free consultation and a brief overview of current the expungement, sealing and executive clemency processes. I’d be glad to help if I can!