Governor’s Pardon Advisory Board hears applicants asking to clear convictions; board moves to closed session to deliberate

The Governor’s Pardon Advisory Board convened a public, livestreamed hearing in which applicants gave three- to five-minute statements asking the board to recommend pardons to Governor Tony Evers. Mel Barnes, the governor’s chief legal counsel and the board’s chair, opened the session and explained that applicants should spend the first three minutes describing their offense, sentence and what they have done since, then offer a brief statement about why they are seeking a pardon. Barnes told applicants the board will deliberate in closed session and that a majority of members present is required to forward a recommendation to the governor; applicants will be told the outcome in about one to two months.

The board—Barnes; Reverend Jerry Hancock (director, Prison Ministry Project); Cindy O’Donnell (former deputy secretary for the Department of Corrections); Anthony Cooper Sr.; and Eric Liberator (assistant director of student success at Marquette Law School)—heard personal statements from applicants representing a wide range of offenses and circumstances. Many applicants said they completed court-ordered terms, paid restitution where required and have remained crime-free for years or decades. Repeated themes included employment barriers created by background checks, difficulty obtaining professional licenses, limits on housing and gun rights, and the desire to remove lifelong stigma for the sake of family and work.

Applicants cited a mix of rehabilitation activities and supports. For example, Demore Rhodes described completing correctional supervision, starting businesses and reconnecting with family; he told the board he seeks a pardon "so I can be able to get loans [and] get my CDL’s license" to expand business opportunities. Brandon Easter, whose 2016 convictions he tied to addiction, told the board he has stayed sober, graduated from technical college and wants a pardon in part to restore his gun rights. Toni Aaron described completing a drug-court diversion program and three years of sobriety; she said rescinded job offers and licensing barriers continued to block work despite her recovery.

Board members repeatedly pressed applicants for details the board uses to evaluate risk and rehabilitation, including whether restitution was paid, whether letters of support were submitted, participation in treatment programs and current employment. Several applicants said they had not submitted letters of support (or that letters did not arrive in time). Some applicants noted explicit support from local prosecutors or judges; for example, several speakers said the judge and district attorney who reviewed a particular application "support" the pardon request, a fact board members cited when asking follow-up questions.

The hearing included procedural clarifications from the chair: applicants should not expect the board to retry facts; the board will make a recommendation to the governor after closed deliberation; and, in order to send an application to the governor, a majority of members present must vote to recommend it. The chair cited Wisconsin Statute 19.85 when moving the board into closed session for deliberations on specific applications and personal histories.

After the public testimony concluded the board voted by voice to enter closed session to deliberate under Wisconsin Statute 19.85(1)(a),(d),(f). The public meeting record shows the motion was moved, seconded and carried by a voice vote; no individual roll-call tallies were published in the public record. The board did not announce any final decisions in open session.

What happens next: the board will deliberate in closed session and, if a majority of members present supports forwarding an application, staff will transmit a recommendation to Governor Evers. Applicants should expect to be notified of the outcome about one to two months after the hearing.