The human toll of excessive sentencing.

The pursuit of law and order, the encouragement of redemption are not mutually exclusive pursuits. These are quintessential American values.

Perhaps not coincidentally, these burdens are disproportionately borne by people of color.

Clemency should be expanded to become a routine part of the criminal justice system.

Clemency 2014 invited clemency petitions from Federal prisoners who had served substantial sentences for low-level nonviolent crimes.

Yet, thousands of petitions for clemency remain pending with the Department of Justice's Office of Pardon Attorney.

The prison system is extremely expensive, and taxpayers are paying for this lack of action.

Not far from here, almost 57 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King spoke movingly to remind America of the fierce urgency of now, because now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

We hold this hearing today to remind America that today there are few things more fiercely urgent than the need to grant clemency to the thousands who suffer from the burdens of excessive and unjust imprisonment, or the collateral…

I would submit the history of the last few months shows that Madison was wrong, and that any such President would not necessarily immediately be impeached.

I hope you were here when I let you know that I have criticized President Obama, too, for what I thought was a late process and not issuing enough commutations.

It is disappointing to see Amtrak eliminate this popular tradition on several of its long-distance routes.