Office of the Pardon Attorney

Office of the Pardon Attorney

Department of Justice Seal
Caption: 
Public Notice - The Office of the Pardon Attorney (OPA) welcomes correspondence, preferably by email, regarding clemency matters. OPA does not respond to every item of correspondence that is submitted to this office. However, every submission is given appropriate attention.

Meet the Director

Meet the Pardon Attorney

Robert A. Zauzmer
Pardon Attorney

Robert A. Zauzmer was named Acting Pardon Attorney on February 1, 2016 and then appointed by the Attorney General as Pardon Attorney on Monday, September 26, 2016. Mr. Zauzmer served as an Assistant United States Attorney and the Chief of Appeals in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, as well as being a key player in the Department’s implementation of both the 2013 Smart on Crime initiative and the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s retroactive sentence reductions.

Mission

The Office of the Pardon Attorney assists the President in the exercise of executive clemency. Under the Constitution, the President's clemency power extends only to federal criminal offenses. All requests for executive clemency for federal offenses are directed to the Pardon Attorney for investigation and review. The Pardon Attorney prepares the Department's recommendation to the President for final disposition of each application. Executive clemency may take several forms, including pardon, commutation of sentence, remission of fine or restitution, and reprieve.

NOTICE

The Office of the Pardon Attorney (OPA) welcomes correspondence, by mail or email, regarding clemency matters. Due to current resource limitations, we do not respond to every piece of correspondence that is submitted to this office. However, every submission is given appropriate attention. Please read an explanation here.

Presidential Clemency Action During The Obama Administration

October 6, 2016
 
September 30, 2016
2,917 commutations denied
 
August 30, 2016
 
August 8, 2016
2,229 commutations denied
 
August 3, 2016
 
June 3, 2016
 
May 11, 2016
27 commutations denied
 
May 5, 2016
 
April 6, 2016
589 commutations denied
 
March 30, 2016
61 commutations granted
 
January 16, 2016
4 pardons and 3 commutations granted
 
January 5, 2016
745 commutations denied
 
December 18, 2015
 
July 13, 2015
46 commutations granted
 
March 31, 2015
 

 
 
 

 

 

December 17, 2014
142 pardons and 782 commutations denied
 
December 15, 2014
 
April 15, 2014
commutation granted
 
December 19, 2013
13 pardons and 8 commutations granted
154 pardons and 1226 commutations denied
 
March 1, 2013
17 pardons granted
 
February 28, 2013
314 pardons and 1577 commutations denied
 
November 21, 2011
 
November 19, 2011
147 pardons and 689 commutations denied
 
May 20, 2011
8 pardons granted
 
May 14, 2011
741 pardons and 1947 commutations denied
 
December 3, 2010
 
November 23, 2010
60 pardons and 552 commutations denied
 
October 11, 2010
71 pardons and 605 commutations denied
 
 
Leadership 

Robert A. Zauzmer
Pardon Attorney

Contact 

Office of the Pardon Attorney
Attorney 202-616-6070