How many presidential pardons did Barrack obama grant by number and list of recipients?

1. Why the numbers differ — counting methods and timing

Different counts stem from which records and cut‑off dates reporters used. The White House archived summaries and the DOJ’s Office of the Pardon Attorney show batches of pardons (e.g., 78 pardons on Dec. 19, 2016) and an official DOJ roster of pardons granted across 2009–2017 ^[2][1]. Some articles and trackers that tallied pardons at particular earlier dates reported a much smaller figure , reflecting an earlier snapshot or differing inclusion rules ^[3]. The variation reflects reporting methodology rather than a single factual contradiction in whether clemency actions occurred ^[2][3].

2. The Department of Justice as the primary source

The Office of the Pardon Attorney maintains the official lists and individual notices of pardons and is cited in multiple search results as the authoritative repository for the names and dates of pardons ^[1][4]. For a definitive roster of individual recipients and their offenses, the DOJ’s “Pardons Granted by President Barack H. Obama (2009–2017)” page is the primary document in this dataset; reporters and secondary compilations rely on it ^[1].

3. Aggregate totals reported in public archives and media

Several reputable aggregations attribute 212 pardons to Obama and 1,715 commutations, producing a clemency total often reported as 1,927 acts ^[5][6][7]. The White House archive and some outlets emphasize that Obama issued large numbers of commutations (notably 330 on Jan. 19, 2017) and reported totals such as “212 pardons” in their summaries ^[5][6]. News outlets and fact‑checking sites likewise note the 212 figure when summarizing his overall clemency record ^[8][9].

4. Contrasting reporting that finds far fewer “full pardons”

Other reporters and analyses highlighted that Obama used pardons less frequently than many predecessors; one analysis cited a count of 70 full pardons up to a certain date, contrasting heavy use of commutations with relatively few full pardons ^[3][10]. This perspective frames Obama’s clemency strategy as focused on commuting long drug sentences rather than issuing many traditional post‑conviction pardons ^[10].

5. Publicly named, higher‑profile pardon recipients

Media coverage and White House releases called attention to a few higher‑profile pardons (for example, James Cartwright was pardoned near the end of the term) while the bulk of pardons involved lower‑profile, often nonviolent or drug‑related offenses ^[5][9]. Reporting emphasizes that many of Obama’s clemency actions targeted perceived sentencing injustices from the war on drugs ^[5].

6. Where to get a definitive list of recipient names

To obtain a complete, name‑by‑name list of people pardoned by Barack Obama, consult the DOJ’s pardons page and the archived White House press releases that list specific batches (e.g., December 3, 2010; May 20, 2011; December 19, 2016), because those pages contain the official warrants and named recipients ^[1][2][11]. ThoughtCo and several news outlets have assembled accessible compilations derived from DOJ/White House lists, useful for quick reference ^[12][9].

7. What this means for interpreting clemency records

The clemency record must be read in two parts: pardons (restoring civil rights and forgiving convictions) and commutations (shortening or changing sentences). Obama’s legacy in clemency is defined more by historic volumes of commutations than by a large number of full pardons; multiple sources underline the disparity—many commutations, relatively fewer pardons—so any claim about “how many pardons” needs the methodological caveat about counting and cut‑off dates ^[5][10][8].

Limitations: available sources in this set do not contain a single downloadable, authoritative line‑item list embedded here; for a definitive name list and exact count as tallied by the U.S. government, consult the DOJ Office of the Pardon Attorney pages cited above ^[1][4].