Executive Clemency (Noun)
Meaning
The power (usually of a president or governor) to pardon or commute the sentence of someone convicted in that jurisdiction.
Classification
Nouns denoting natural processes.
Examples
- The governor's office received numerous appeals for executive clemency from the families of inmates on death row.
- As a last resort, the defense team petitioned the president for executive clemency on behalf of their wrongly convicted client.
- Executive clemency was granted to the former politician, after serving only half of her five-year sentence for corruption.
- The state's board of pardons reviewed the case and recommended executive clemency, citing concerns about the fairness of the original trial.
- After reviewing the petition, the governor decided to grant executive clemency to the prisoner, commuting his life sentence to time served.