President Donald Trump has granted presidential clemency to 30 people, marking another major use of his clemency powers during his second term. The group includes Emory Jones, a longtime associate of rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z who previously served nearly 16 years in federal prison on drug-related charges.
Alice Marie Johnson, the White House official overseeing clemency efforts, announced the decisions Friday. According to Johnson, Trump approved the clemency actions on Thursday.
Emory Jones Among Those Receiving Clemency
Jones, who has longstanding ties to Jay-Z, spent nearly 16 years behind bars on federal drug charges before his release in 2010.
His case gained attention in part because Jay-Z wrote to a judge seeking a reduction in Jones’ sentence. After leaving prison, Jones became involved in the entertainment and fashion industries.
He later worked as an executive at Jay-Z’s Roc Nation entertainment company and helped launch the Paper Planes clothing brand.
Jones is among the latest individuals to receive presidential clemency as Trump continues to make broad use of his constitutional authority to pardon or commute federal sentences.
30 People Receive Presidential Clemency
The latest group includes people with different criminal backgrounds. Among them are a former Philadelphia labor union leader who was convicted of bribery and a former Navy sailor who was imprisoned for firearms-related offenses.
Presidential clemency can take different forms, including a pardon that removes certain legal consequences of a federal conviction or a commutation that reduces a person’s sentence.
Johnson, who has been closely involved in Trump’s clemency decisions, has become a prominent figure in the administration’s approach to presidential pardons and sentence reductions.
She previously received clemency from Trump after serving more than two decades in prison for a drug-related conviction. Trump first commuted her life sentence in 2018 and later issued her a full pardon in 2020.
Trump Has Issued More Than 1,700 Clemency Grants
The latest decisions add to Trump’s extensive record of presidential clemency since returning to the White House in January 2025.
Trump has now granted pardons or sentence commutations to more than 1,700 people during his second presidential term, according to figures cited in connection with the latest announcements.
The president’s use of clemency has covered a wide range of cases, making the power an important part of his administration’s criminal justice and political agenda.
The latest round demonstrates that presidential pardons and commutations remain a significant feature of Trump’s second term, with additional clemency decisions potentially expected as his administration continues reviewing cases.
