Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on Dec. 2023, announced the Justice Department’s proposed revision of the application for presidential pardons for individuals who have completed their federal sentences.
The announcement was made during remarks at a White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable.
The Office of the Pardon Attorney (Pardon) has collaborated with the Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) over the past year to make the first major revisions to the application form in decades.
The goal is to make the form more user-friendly and accessible. Pardon and ATJ engaged extensively with applicants, advocates, and stakeholders, incorporating their feedback into the revisions.
Notable changes to the proposed form include eliminating the requirement for notarized signature pages, reducing the burden on applicants and their character references.
The form also asks for less information about applicants’ histories to streamline the application process.
Questions are reframed using plain language and legal jargon is eliminated. Additionally, user-focused resources such as enhanced instructions, explanations, a checklist for completion, and a table of contents are added.
The proposed revisions have been published in the Federal Register, and the public is invited to provide input until Jan. 16, 2024.
The final form will be available from March 2024.
Pardon applications already submitted need not be resubmitted using the new form, as both forms will be processed.
ATJ will continue to work with Justice Department components to embed simplification principles and expand access to programs and activities across the department.
