Current:Home > BackNevada pardons board will now consider requests for posthumous pardons-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Nevada pardons board will now consider requests for posthumous pardons
View Date:2024-12-23 22:28:45
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada’s pardons board will now consider requests for posthumous pardons in a limited scope, nearly six years after it voted to freeze such applications amid a backlog in cases.
The nine-member board voted unanimously Wednesday to begin accepting petitions for posthumous relief, but only those sponsored by a member of the board will be eligible for consideration.
The board consists of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, Democratic state Attorney General Aaron Ford and the state’s Supreme Court justices.
Chief Justice Lidia Stiglich said Wednesday that she brought the matter before the board, in part, because of Tonja Brown, an advocate for prisoners who routinely speaks at meetings to bring attention to her late brother’s case.
“At the very least,” Stiglich said, Brown’s “tenacity deserves a discussion about whether or not we’re going to hear” posthumous cases.
Brown believes her brother, Nolan Klein, was wrongly convicted in 1988 of a sexual assault and armed robbery outside of Reno and deserves a pardon.
“He always maintained his innocence,” she told The Associated Press after the meeting. Klein died in 2009.
Brown said she was grateful to the board and plans to submit an application on her brother’s behalf in the coming days.
In 2017, the board had voted it would not consider requests for posthumous pardons amid an “extreme backlog” of applications for pardons and commutations, said Denise Davis, the board’s executive secretary. At the time, the board was required only to meet twice yearly, and only the governor had authority to bring a matter forward for consideration.
Nevada voters in 2020, however, passed a measure reforming the state’s pardons board. It now meets quarterly, and any member can place a matter before the board for consideration — including an application for posthumous pardons.
Davis said the board is still chipping away at the backlog, though it has improved.
Posthumous pardons are rare in Nevada — even before the board’s vote halting applications in 2017. Davis said she can’t recall the board granting a pardon posthumously since at least 2013, when she became executive secretary.
veryGood! (41595)
Related
- Will the NBA Cup become a treasured tradition? League hopes so, but it’s too soon to tell
- March Madness is here. Bracket reveal the 1st step in what should be an NCAA Tournament free-for-all
- For ESPN announcers on MLB's Korea series, pandemic memories come flooding back
- Man faces charges in 2 states after fatal Pennsylvania shootings: 'String of violent acts'
- Real Housewives of New York City Star’s Pregnancy Reveal Is Not Who We Expected
- Riley Strain disappearance timeline: What we know about the missing college student
- Stanley Tucci’s Exclusive Cookware Collection Is So Gorgeous, You’ll Even Want Your Kitchen to Match
- ‘Art and science:' How bracketologists are using artificial intelligence this March Madness
- Voters in Oakland oust Mayor Sheng Thao just 2 years into her term
- Denny Hamlin wins NASCAR race at Bristol as tire wear causes turmoil to field
Ranking
- Skiing legend Lindsey Vonn ends retirement, plans to return to competition
- NBA star Stephen Curry discusses how his new children's book inspires confidence: Find the courage
- Connecticut back at No. 1 in last USA TODAY Sports men's basketball before the NCAA Tournament
- Watch Rob Kardashian's Sweet Birthday Tribute From Khloe Kardashian's Kids True and Tatum Thompson
- BITFII Introduce
- Zendaya and Tom Holland Ace Their Tennis Date at BNP Paribas Open
- ‘I saw pure black’: A shotgun blast pulverized Amedy Dewey's face. What now?
- Secret Service, Justice Dept locate person of interest in swatting attacks on DHS Secretary Mayorkas and other officials
Recommendation
-
Olivia Munn Randomly Drug Tests John Mulaney After Mini-Intervention
-
Book excerpt: Burn Book: A Tech Love Story by Kara Swisher
-
When is Selection Sunday 2024? Date, time, TV channel for March Madness bracket reveal
-
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire merges original cast and new talent 40 years after the movie premiered
-
Justice Department sues to block UnitedHealth Group’s $3.3 billion purchase of Amedisys
-
Shakira put her music career 'on hold' for Gerard Piqué: 'A lot of sacrifice for love'
-
‘Art and science:' How bracketologists are using artificial intelligence this March Madness
-
For ESPN announcers on MLB's Korea series, pandemic memories come flooding back