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The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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Walker unyielding on issuing pardons

Gov. Scott Walker is taking a hard stance against the practice of granting pardons, with some on the left concerned that taking a stance against pardons in general could prevent convicts involved in poorly executed trials from seeking justice.

Walker recently announced he will not be granting gubernatorial pardons, Walker’s spokesperson Cullen Werwie said in a statement.

According to an executive clemency statement from the governor’s office, a pardon is an act of official forgiveness that restores rights lost due to conviction. Any convicted felon in the state may apply for a pardon if it has been eight years or more since they completed their sentence.

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Pardons are a way to ensure justice, and should at least be considered by the governor, Rep. Kelda Helen Roys, D-Madison, said.

The governor’s office will still accept applications for pardons, but, according to Werwie’s statement, the administration does not plan to grant any pardons.

“Our legal team reviews pardon requests to see if there are any extenuating circumstances, however we have no plan to pardon anyone at this time,” the statement said.

Werwie did not respond to calls or emails regarding whether the governor would grant pardons at any time during his term. He also did not comment on if the governor would grant commutation or reprieve to anyone.

“It is something of last resort for many convicted offenders. It is one fail-safe if there has been a miscarriage of justice. It is very difficult to win a post-conviction decision,” Roys said.

The statement said citizens who receive a pardon can regain their rights to possess firearms, hold public office, sit on a jury, and receive various licenses.

Pardon applications are normally reviewed by the governor on a case-by-case basis, usually toward the end of his term.

Pardons are then granted to those who have shown they were wrongly convicted, or to those who have paid their debt to society and become a functioning member of their community, Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause in Wisconsin, said.

Heck said Walker will be the first Wisconsin governor – Republican or Democrat – to not grant pardons.

“Past governors did exercise their power to pardon certain individuals. I think it’s odd for this governor to say he won’t pardon anybody, and that he’s proud of that. If someone’s innocent, certainly they should be entitled to have some review,” Heck said.

Mike Mikalsen, spokesperson for Rep. Stephen Nass, R-Whitewater, said Walker has not pardoned anyone during his first 11 months in office largely because his administration has had to deal with more urgent priorities, particularly balancing the budget, reforming the collective bargaining process and working with state businesses to create more jobs.

Nass, he said, would support the governor’s constitutional power to grant a pardon once he deems a case fit.

The lack of pardons in Walker’s  first 11 months as governor does not mean he will not grant any during his term, Mikalsen said, but rather that up to this point the governor has not found an application for pardon to be of greater priority than those problems which face Wisconsinites who have not committed a crime.

Roys said she was also surprised the governor announced he would not grant pardons.

Both Heck and Roys see the governor’s decision to not grant pardons as something that will hurt justice in Wisconsin, and may hurt his campaign going into the recall election.

“I just can’t imagine that that’s going to appeal to too many people besides the real hard right wing, who declares no mercy for anybody. It isn’t very Wisconsin-like,” Heck said.

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