We post news and comment on federal criminal justice issues, focused primarily on trial and post-conviction matters, legislative initiatives, and sentencing issues.

KIM KARDASHIAN GOES TO WASHINGTON TO TALK CLEMENCY POLICY

Kim Kardashian was back at the White House last Wednesday to discuss prison reform with top Trump administration officials.

The reality television star, who successfully lobbied for the commutation of Alice Johnson in June, attended a listening session on clemency with a number of officials, Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, and Ivanka Trump.

“The discussion is mainly focused on ways to improve that process to ensure deserving cases receive a fair review,” according to Hogan Gidley, White House deputy press secretary.

Others at the meeting included CNN commentator Van Jones, Georgetown law professor (and former federal inmate) Shon Hopwood, former U.S. District Court Judge Kevin Sharp, Mark Holden, the general counsel of Koch Industries, Jessica Jackson Sloan, a human rights attorney and prison reform advocate, law professors Rachel Barkow and Mark Osler, both of whom are sentencing and clemency specialists, and Leonard Leo of the Federalist Society.

Following the round-table discussion Wednesday, Sharp visited the Oval Office with Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Kardashian and a few others to brief the President. “We talked about criminal justice reform in general and the need for it, (and) for a change in the clemency and pardon process,” Sharp said, who noted the President seemed receptive during the roughly 20-minute meeting. “My sense was, he cares and he was listening to us. Sitting in that room, you would not have known it’s been a busy week – it was very relaxed. You wouldn’t know there was anything else going on.”

Wall Street Journal, Kim Kardashian Visits White House to Discuss Prison Reform (Sept. 5, 2018)

Chicago Tribune, Kim Kardashian meeting with President Trump on prison reform (Sept. 5, 2018)

Nashville Tennessean, Former Nashville judge speaks with Donald Trump about clemency, criminal justice reform (Sept. 7, 2018)

– Thomas L. Root