OFFICE OF THE PARDON ATTORNEY

Office of the Pardon Attorney organization chartd

The Office of the Pardon Attorney (OPA) dates from the Act of March 3, 1865, which created the Office of the Pardon Clerk in the Office of the Attorney General. By the Act of March 3, 1891, the Office of the Attorney in Charge of Pardons, now known as the Office of the Pardon Attorney, was substituted for the Pardon Clerk.

OPA currently includes six permanent attorney positions: the Pardon Attorney, the Deputy Pardon Attorney, and four staff attorneys. The mission of the Pardon Attorney is to assist the President in the exercise of his constitutional pardoning power by providing him with the best information available on which to base a fair and just decision in cases in which applicants seek clemency.

The major functions of OPA are to:

Return to the table of contents