Former President Joe Biden has officially left the White House to make way for President Donald Trump 2.0 and his administration. But before leaving office, Biden made a host of pardons, setting the record for most pardons and sentence commutations by a president in a single term.
Among the people on Biden’s pardon list were nearly 2,500 people who were serving disproportionately long sentences for drug convictions, including Kemba Smith Pradia who was convicted on a non-violent drug offense in 1994 and sentenced to 24 years in prison.
Although Smith never used or sold drugs herself, she was charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine due to her involvement in an abusive relationship with a drug dealer, according to the Legal Defense Fund. Smith served just over six years of that sentence before President Bill Clinton commuted her sentence on December 22, 2020.
Since her release, Smith has worked tirelessly to support victims of domestic abuse and as an advocate for criminal justice and civil rights issues through her Kemba Smith Foundation. Now, Biden’s pardon will remove restrictions on Smith’s right to vote, hold state or local office, or sit on a jury.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Smith thanked President Biden for helping her get a second chance.
“Today, I dropped to my knees, thanking God for this moment. I am overwhelmed with gratitude and humbled by the news that I have been granted a full pardon by President Joe Biden,” she wrote in part. “This incredible act of grace not only expunges my criminal record and restores my rights but also reaffirms the belief that our past does not define our future.”
Kara Gotsch, executive director of the Sentencing Project, applauded President Biden for his actions, which impact communities of color whose lives are often impacted by unjust sentencing laws.
“Cruel and excessive prison sentences that have overwhelmingly harmed Black communities have been the cornerstone of federal drug policy for generations,” she said in a statement. “The Sentencing Project commends President Biden’s bold, corrective use of his clemency powers which will help define his legacy.”