With Governor Tony Evers in office, many people in Wisconsin are excited that pardons will be available once again. Unfortunately, the process of granting pardons to Wisconsin residents has gotten off to a slow start. Governor Evers, who promised during the campaign to issue pardons, said that he is “disappointed” that his administration has not set up the Pardon Advisory Board nearly four months into his term.
The Pardon Advisory Board will be made up of about 15 people who will review applications from felons and make recommendations to the governor. Gov. Evers said that he has a team of three lawyers who are working to revive the pardons review board and is hopeful that the Pardon Advisory Board will be operational by summer. Evers explained that his lawyers have not had enough time to resolve this pardon issue because they have been busy focusing on legal challenges to the lame-duck legislative session Republicans started in December.
Despite these challenges, Governor Evers said that forming the Pardon Advisory Board was “exceedingly important” and that it would be his “top priority.” Evers made these statements while campaigning with residents from all over Wisconsin -- not just the urban areas -- who made it clear that they were interested in allowing for the consideration of pardons.
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