Category: Dec2013

WASHINGTON, DC – Today President Barack Obama granted clemency to twenty-one individuals, consisting of eight commutations and thirteen pardons. The President granted commutations to the following eight individuals: Clarence Aaron – Mobile, Ala. Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; attempt to possess cocaine…

Three years ago, I signed the bipartisan Fair Sentencing Act, which dramatically narrowed the disparity between penalties for crack and powder cocaine offenses.  This law began to right a decades-old injustice, but for thousands of inmates, it came too late.  If they had been sentenced under the current law, many of them would have already…

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama nominated Judge Michael P. Boggs, Tanya S. Chutkan, Mark Howard Cohen, Judge M. Hannah Lauck, Leigh Martin May, Judge Eleanor Ross, Judge Leo T. Sorokin, and Judge James Alan Soto to serve on the United States District Courts. “I am honored to put forward these highly qualified candidates for…

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama nominated Judge Julie E. Carnes and Judge Gregg Jeffrey Costa to serve on the United States Courts of Appeals. “Judges Carnes and Costa have displayed exceptional dedication to public service throughout their careers,” President Obama said. “I am honored to nominate them today to serve the American people on…

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Mr. President:) On December 18, 2013, approximately 45 U.S. Armed Forces personnel deployed to South Sudan to support the security of U.S. personnel and our Embassy. Although equipped for combat, this force was deployed for the purpose of protecting U.S. citizens and property. This force will remain in South Sudan until the…

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts: Paige Eve Alexander – Assistant Administrator for the Middle East, United States Agency for International Development Sharon Y. Bowen – Commissioner, Commodity Futures Trading Commission John C. Cruden – Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural…

NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE: Michael P. Boggs, of Georgia, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia, vice Julie E. Carnes. Julie E. Carnes, of Georgia, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit, vice James Larry Edmondson, retired. Tanya S. Chutkan, of the District of Columbia, to…

In 2011, millions of South Sudanese voted to forge a new nation, founded on the promise of a more peaceful and prosperous future for all of South Sudan’s people.  In recent years, against great odds, South Sudan has made great progress toward breaking the cycle of violence that characterized much of its history. Today, that…

THE PRESIDENT:  Michelle and I just had a wonderful conversation with this group of moms and one aunt who have been working tirelessly out there on behalf of our mission, which is to make sure that everybody in America, regardless of where they live, their background, that they are able to get high-quality health care…

Today, President Obama met with his Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies — Richard Clarke, Michael Morell, Geoffrey Stone, Cass Sunstein and Peter Swire — to discuss the report they submitted to the President on December 13. This meeting offered President Obama an opportunity to hear directly from the group’s members and discuss the…