Cooper issues pardons, echoing Biden’s recent commutations

Over the holiday, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper granted six commutations and nine pardons of forgiveness. According to a press release from the governor’s office, these decisions, announced on December 23, follow a review by the Office of Executive Clemency and aim to provide a second chance to individuals who have demonstrated rehabilitation during their incarceration.

Cooper’s pardons primarily addressed cases where sentences were handed down decades ago, often for crimes committed as juveniles. For instance, Jonathan Burdette, now 38, was pardoned after serving nearly 20 years for an armed robbery he committed at 17. Sethy Seam, incarcerated for 25 years following a robbery and murder conviction at age 16, was similarly granted clemency. Both men are slated for release in early January 2025.

“Ensuring careful review of cases while taking executive clemency action is a responsibility I take seriously,” said Cooper in a press release. “We carefully consider recommendations made by the Juvenile Sentence Review Board to commute sentences for crimes committed by minors. All of these individuals are deserving of clemency and we will continue to work to protect our communities and improve the fairness of our criminal justice system.”

While some advocacy groups have praised the governor for promoting rehabilitation, critics argue that these decisions prioritize political narratives over the safety and justice owed to victims and their families.

Just two weeks earlier, President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates, converting their sentences to life without parole. This marked a significant move in line with his administration’s broader stance against the federal death penalty, except in cases of terrorism or “hate crime” mass shootings.

Among Biden’s commutations was Anthony Battle, a former U.S. Army soldier convicted of murdering a federal prison guard during an escape attempt in 1994, while serving time for mudering his wife, a Marine Corps lance corporal at Camp Lejeune in 1986.

The actions of Cooper and Biden reflects Democrats’ policy trend toward reducing the use of the death penalty and life imprisonment without parole. However, these moves have reignited debates about the balance between second chances and justice for victims.

Cooper has been under pressure from activists to commute all 136 death sentences in North Carolina as he prepares to leave office on January 1, 2025. The North Carolina Justice Center is holding a vigil in downtown Raleigh from December 10 through December 31, urging him to further exercise the governor’s commutation authority. Carrying out the death penalty in North Carolina has been paused for nearly 20 years amid lawsuits stemming from the Racial Justice Act.

Cooper’s clemency actions, coming shortly after Biden’s federal commutations, signal a coordinated push among Democratic leaders to reevaluate punitive measures. Critics warn that these actions risk eroding public trust in the justice system, while supporters view as steps toward a more “equitable” approach.

Cooper is expected to make more pardons and commutations before the new year. Whether parole will be granted to those now eligible is decided by the NC Post Release Supervision and Parole Commission.

The post Cooper issues pardons, echoing Biden’s recent commutations first appeared on Carolina Journal.