Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich faces his own legal cloud, but on Friday he pardoned nearly two dozen other people.
The Democratic governor has rarely acted on pardon applications during his six years in office, with the backlog of requests at one point topping 1,600. But Blagojevich has acted more often in recent months.
"I am pleased to restore the rights of citizenship to these individuals," Blagojevich said in a statement Friday. "After looking at each one of these cases, it was clear that this was the right thing to do."
Notice of the pardons followed Blagojevich's first public appearance since his arrest on federal corruption charges. The governor insisted he did nothing wrong and does not intend to resign.
Aides would not provide any information about why he granted the pardons or what crimes the people were accused of committing.
Marcus Lyons, 51, told the Chicago Tribune that he was happy to be included on the list but was still bitter at his conviction for a 1987 rape that he did not commit. He was released from prison in 1991 and now lives in Indiana.
DuPage County State's Attorney Joseph Birkett dismissed Lyons' conviction after DNA evidence proved his innocence in September 2007. He has filed a lawsuit that is pending in federal court accusing Woodridge police officers of mishandling the case.
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"You can never get your reputation back," he said. "Your reputation is worth more than gold."
Blagojevich has been criticized for the slow pace at which he grants pardons. But he issued executive clemency for 19 people in July and 26 people in October, including four who had gone to court seeking certificates of innocence.
A state law passed in September by the Illinois General Assembly allows exonerees seeking pardons to go around the governor and seek the certificates by applying to the county court of their conviction for compensation.
Aides would not provide any information about why he granted the pardons or what crimes the people were accused of committing.
Receiving pardons Friday were:
Jackie Wayne Collins
Constance Glass
Michael Gordon
Sylvia Johnson
Donald Kendall
John Kidwell
Bret Lefever
Juan Linval
Latasha Lofton
Marcus Lyons
Alex May
Donald Mitchell
James Moreland
Joel Naskiewicz
Jeffrey Nussbaum
Larry Pierson
Katrina Raickett
Shanyta Russell
Edward Lee Smith
Robert Eugene Smith
Michael Tabler
Lora Thomas
