Acting unusually quickly, the Supreme Court today gave Governor Gavin Newsom permission to pardon a man who the Governor said had applied for clemency “to avoid severe collateral consequences of conviction, specifically deportation and permanent family separation.” The court’s clemency recommendation for Thear Sam, which was required by the state constitution because he is a twice-convicted felon, comes just three weeks after Newsom asked for it.
There was some doubt how the court would act on the Sam clemency request because the court last year blocked then-Governor Jerry Brown from pardoning a man who was subject to deportation (see here, here, and here).
[October 18 update: along with five other clemency grants, Governor Gavin Newsom yesterday pardoned Sam.]
