Finally, I want to thank Ron Rodgers for his service as the United States Pardon Attorney. Over the past several years, Ron has performed admirably in what is a very tough job. He has demonstrated dedication and integrity in his work on pardons and commutations. In the tradition of Senior Executive Service attorneys in the Department, Ron has asked me to allow him to move on to another assignment within the Department. I told him I would do that, but only after he helped with the transition to new leadership in the Pardon Attorney's Office. In that vein, I am pleased to announce that Deborah Leff will be coming in to lead the Pardon Attorney's Office. Debby has committed her career to the very basis of this initiative - achieving equal justice under law. As Acting Senior Counselor for Access to Justice, her fundamental mission has been to help the justice system deliver outcomes that are fair and accessible to all. She has worked to increase access to legal counsel and legal assistance for those who are unable to afford lawyers. And, she has also been instrumental in the standing up of Clemency Project 2014. Importantly, she is known in both the Department and the legal community as a dedicated advocate and public servant. I am confident that she will do a wonderful job providing recommendations to me and the President on this initiative and on the clemency process going forward.
In the same vein, it is important to remember that commutations are not pardons. They are not exonerations. They are not an expression of forgiveness. Rather, as the President said, they are an "important step toward restoring fundamental ideals of justice and fairness." He noted that "many of [these individuals] would have already served their time and paid their debt to society" had they been sentenced under current law. For our criminal justice system to be effective, it needs to not only be fair; but it also must be perceived as being fair. These older, stringent punishments that are out of line with sentences imposed under today's laws erode people' s confidence in our criminal justice system. I am confident that this initiative will go far to promote the most fundamental of American ideals - equal justice under law.