If you’ve been scrolling through news feeds lately, you’ve probably seen the headlines about "record-breaking" acts of mercy coming out of the White House. But honestly, the math gets confusing fast. One source says a few dozen, another says thousands, and then there’s the whole "blanket pardon" thing for marijuana that makes the numbers look astronomical.
So, let's just level with each other. How many people did Biden pardon? If you’re looking for a simple number, it’s not that easy because there’s a massive difference between a "pardon" and a "commutation." Most people use the word pardon to mean "getting out of trouble," but in the legal world, they’re distinct tools. By the time Joe Biden left office in January 2025, he had authorized 4,245 acts of clemency.
That sounds like a lot. It is. In fact, it's more than any president since the 1900s. But here’s the kicker: only 80 of those were actual individual pardons. The rest? Those were commutations.
Why the Numbers Look So Different
When you hear that Biden granted "thousands" of pardons, people are usually talking about his mass proclamations. This is where it gets kinda technical.
In October 2022 and again in December 2023, Biden issued categorical pardons for "simple marijuana possession." He didn’t sit down and write out 6,500 individual names. Instead, he basically waved a magic wand over a specific crime. He said, "If you were convicted of this specific thing under federal law, you're pardoned."
- The Individual List: 80 people.
- The Marijuana Proclamation: Estimated 6,500+ people (though many of these folks were already out of prison).
- The Veterans Proclamation: In June 2024, he pardoned thousands of former service members convicted under a military ban on consensual gay sex (Article 125).
If you add up the mass proclamations, the number of people Biden pardoned technically climbs into the tens of thousands. But if we’re talking about specific, named files crossing his desk for a signature, the number is much, much smaller.
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The "Midnight" Rush of January 2025
Most presidents wait until the moving trucks are in the driveway to start handing out favors. Biden was no different, but he took it to an extreme.
About 96% of his clemency acts happened in his final fiscal year. On January 17, 2025—just three days before the inauguration—he granted 2,490 commutations in a single day. That is a wild statistic. To put it in perspective, that’s more than some presidents did in eight years.
The Death Row Move
One of the most controversial things Biden did at the very end was a near-total clearing of federal death row. On December 23, 2024, he commuted the sentences of 37 out of 40 inmates facing the death penalty. He changed their sentences to life without parole. He left three people on the list, mostly because their crimes involved mass murder or terrorism, and even for a "mercy" push, that was a bridge too far for the administration.
The Hunter Biden Factor
We can't talk about Biden’s pardons without mentioning the elephant in the room. In December 2024, he pardoned his son, Hunter Biden. This was a "full and unconditional" pardon that covered a decade of potential crimes. It didn't just cover the gun and tax charges he was already facing; it was a "pocket pardon" for anything from 2014 to 2024.
This move really rubbed people the wrong way because he’d spent months promising he wouldn't do it. It definitely complicated his "restoring the soul of the nation" brand, but from a purely legal standpoint, the President’s pardon power is basically absolute.
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Breaking Down the "Commutation" vs. "Pardon" Gap
You've probably noticed I keep switching between those two words. It’s important.
A pardon is like an "undo" button. It wipes the conviction off your record. It’s as if it never happened. You get your right to vote back, you can carry a gun again, and you don’t have to check the "felon" box on job applications.
A commutation is more like a "time served" button. It doesn't erase the crime, but it stops the punishment. Biden used this for nearly 1,500 people who were sent home during COVID-19 under the CARES Act. They were already living at home, working jobs, and staying out of trouble. Biden basically said, "You’re doing fine, you don't need to go back to a cell."
Comparison: Biden vs. The Other Guys
It’s easy to think Biden was just throwing pardons around like confetti, but if you look at the "pardon" count alone (the 80 individuals), he was actually one of the stingiest presidents in history. Only George H.W. Bush issued fewer (74).
However, if you look at commutations, he's the undisputed king.
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| President | Total Clemency Acts |
|---|---|
| Joe Biden | 4,245 |
| Barack Obama | 1,927 |
| Donald Trump (1st Term) | 237 |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | 3,796 |
FDR had twelve years to get to that number. Biden did it in four. It shows a real shift in how the White House uses this power. Instead of rewarding political allies (though there was some of that), the Biden strategy focused heavily on systemic issues like drug sentencing and the death penalty.
What This Means for You
If you or someone you know is looking into how many people Biden pardon because you're seeking help, here is the reality: the window has closed for the Biden era.
The pardon power is a living thing that changes with every president. While Biden focused on non-violent drug offenders and "second chances" for those on home confinement, the current administration has a totally different vibe.
What to do now:
- Check the DOJ Database: The Office of the Pardon Attorney keeps a public list of every name. If you think you were part of a mass proclamation (like the marijuana one), you can actually apply for a "Certificate of Pardon" to prove it to employers.
- Understand the Limitations: A federal pardon does nothing for state crimes. If you were busted for weed in a state where it's still illegal, Biden’s pen couldn't help you.
- Watch the Trends: Clemency is becoming a tool for "social justice" rather than just individual "mercy."
The legacy of Biden's 4,245 acts of clemency will be debated for years. Was it a humane correction of a "punitive" system, or was it a last-minute abuse of power? Honestly, it depends on who you ask. But the numbers don't lie: Biden used the pen more than almost anyone else in the history of the office.
To stay updated on current clemency petitions or to see if you qualify for any active proclamations, you should regularly monitor the Department of Justice's official clemency page. The rules change, but the paper trail is permanent.