clemency
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Trump Pardons 20 Federal Prisoners, Including Convicted Trump Allies and Soldiers Who Killed Unarmed Iraqi Civilians
What do war criminals, Trump allies, embezzlers and other white-collar criminals have in common? Y’all’s almost-former president is spending his last days in office freeing them from prison. On Tuesday, Donald Trump pardoned or granted clemency to 20 prisoners and former prisoners, including three Republican congressmen, two people convicted of crimes during the investigation into…
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Chinonye Chukwu Is Directing a Film About Mamie Till Mobley's Relentless Pursuit of Justice Following Emmett Till's Brutal Murder
We will never forget the image of Emmett Louis Till’s grotesquely disfigured face, after his mother Mamie Till Mobley decided to intentionally leave his casket open so the nation could reckon with the hateful evil that caused it. Additionally, we shall never forget the stark pain on her face as she stood over her son’s…
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The Root’s Guide to the 10 Blackest Experiences of the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival
Are you runnin’ through The Six with your cinematic woes? Well, you’re in luck, because it’s time for the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)! Much like myself—who will be reviewing films from the fest this year for The Root—a bunch of Americans will be descending upon America’s church hat, also known as Canada. The…
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Cyntoia Brown Is Finally Free
After serving 15 years behind bars, Cyntoia Brown is finally free. CNN reports that Brown, who has spent almost half of her life incarcerated, was released from the Tennessee Prison for Women on Wednesday, according to the Tennessee Department of Corrections. In January, then-Gov. Bill Haslam granted her clemency as one of his final acts in…
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Obama Commuted Evans Ray’s Life Sentence; Now Ray Wants to Help Others Like Himself
Evans Ray knew he’d made a horrible mistake when he was caught distributing some 60 grams of crack cocaine. He also didn’t believe that the punishment should have been life in prison. But two prior low-level drug convictions ensured that in 2004, Ray would get the max with no possibility of parole. Even the judge…
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Report: Chelsea Manning on Obama’s Short List for Commutation
Former U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who is serving a 35-year sentence for leaking classified material, has been put on President Barack Obama’s short list for a possible commutation. “I have more hope right now than I have the entire time since she was sentenced,” Manning’s aunt, Deborah Manning, told NBC News. “I do…