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'''Alice Marie Johnson''' (born May 30, 1955) is an American criminal justice reform advocate, author, and former federal prisoner whose case became a symbol of sentencing reform and clemency advocacy in the United States.<ref name="npr-pardon-czar">Duster, Chandelis, "Who is Alice Marie Johnson, Trump's newly appointed 'pardon czar'?," NPR, February 25, 2025, https://www.npr.org/2025/02/25/nx-s1-5307330/trump-pardon-czar-who-is-alice-marie-johnson.</ref> Johnson was convicted in 1996 on federal drug and money laundering charges related to a Memphis, Tennessee cocaine trafficking organization and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.<ref name="heavy-profile">Heavy.com, "Alice Marie Johnson: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know," May 2018, https://heavy.com/news/2018/05/alice-marie-johnson/.</ref> After serving 21 years in federal prison, Johnson was released in June 2018 when President Donald Trump commuted her sentence following advocacy by reality television star Kim Kardashian.<ref name="aclu-release">American Civil Liberties Union, "President Commutes Life-Without-Parole Sentence of Alice Marie Johnson," press release, June 6, 2018, https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/president-commutes-life-without-parole-sentence-alice-marie-johnson.</ref>
{{Infobox Person
|name = Alice Marie Johnson
|image = alice-marie-johnson.png
|birth_date = May 30, 1955
|birth_place = Olive Branch, Mississippi
|charges = Drug conspiracy, Money laundering, Structuring
|conviction_date = 1996
|sentence = Life without parole (commuted 2018; pardoned 2020)
|release_date = June 6, 2018
|facility = FCI Aliceville
|judge = Julia Smith Gibbons
|case_number = W.D. Tenn.
|status = Released/Pardoned
}}'''Alice Marie Johnson''' (born May 30, 1955) is an American criminal justice reform advocate and author. She served nearly 22 years of a life sentence in federal prison after a 1996 conviction in the Western District of Tennessee for her role in a Memphis cocaine trafficking organization.<ref name="npr-pardonczar">{{cite news |title=Who is Alice Marie Johnson, Trump's newly appointed 'pardon czar'? |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/02/25/nx-s1-5307330/trump-pardon-czar-who-is-alice-marie-johnson |work=NPR |date=2025-02-25 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> Johnson was a first-time, nonviolent offender. The trial judge had little room to depart from federal mandatory minimums and imposed life without parole.<ref name="aclu">{{cite web |title=President Commutes Life-Without-Parole Sentence of Alice Marie Johnson |url=https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/president-commutes-life-without-parole-sentence-alice-marie-johnson |publisher=American Civil Liberties Union |date=2018-06-06 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


Following her release, Johnson became a prominent advocate for criminal justice reform and founded the Taking Action for Good Foundation to assist others in obtaining clemency.<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" /> She published her memoir, ''After Life: My Journey from Incarceration to Freedom'', in 2019.<ref name="amazon-book">Amazon, "After Life: My Journey from Incarceration to Freedom," accessed 2025, https://www.amazon.com/After-Life-Journey-Incarceration-Freedom/dp/0062936107.</ref> On February 20, 2025, President Trump appointed Johnson as his "Pardon Czar" to make recommendations about federal clemency, making her the first formerly incarcerated person to hold this advisory position.<ref name="hill-appointment">Samuels, Brett, "Trump says Alice Johnson will be his 'pardon czar'," The Hill, February 20, 2025, https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5156241-trump-appoints-alice-johnson-pardon-advocate/.</ref>
Her case drew national attention after reality television personality Kim Kardashian took it up and brought it to the White House in 2018. President Donald Trump commuted Johnson's sentence on June 6, 2018, and she walked out of FCI Aliceville the same day.<ref name="wapo-clemency">{{cite news |last=Wagner |first=John |title=Trump commutes life sentence of Alice Marie Johnson |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-has-commuted-the-life-sentence-of-alice-marie-johnson |work=The Washington Post |date=2018-06-06 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> Two years later, on August 28, 2020, one day after Johnson spoke at the Republican National Convention, Trump granted her a full pardon. The pardon erased the conviction itself, not just the remaining sentence.<ref name="pbs-pardon">{{cite news |title=Trump pardons Alice Johnson, who praised him in RNC speech |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-pardons-alice-johnson-who-praised-him-in-rnc-speech |work=PBS NewsHour |date=2020-08-28 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


== Early Life and Background ==
After her release Johnson became a public advocate for sentencing reform and clemency. She founded a foundation, published a memoir in 2019, and spoke widely about her case. In February 2025, during Trump's second term, he named her to a new advisory role he called "pardon czar." She is the first person to hold the title. The job is to review federal clemency cases and make recommendations to the president.<ref name="cbs-pardonczar">{{cite news |title=Trump names Alice Johnson, pardoned in his first term, to be 'pardon czar' |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-alice-johnson-pardon-czar/ |work=CBS News |date=2025-02-21 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


Alice Marie Johnson was born on May 30, 1955, in Olive Branch, Mississippi, one of nine children raised by sharecropper parents.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> Her memoir recounts growing up in poverty, living in a sharecropper's shack where the children slept so closely together they could not move during the night.<ref name="amazon-book" /> Despite these circumstances, Johnson's parents aspired to better opportunities for their children.<ref name="amazon-book" />
== Early Life ==


Johnson became pregnant as a sophomore in high school but continued her education, eventually attending secretarial college and becoming proficient in typing and office work.<ref name="ageist-profile">AGEIST, "Alice Marie Johnson, 68: Keep Looking Ahead," December 21, 2023, https://www.ageist.com/profile/alice-marie-johnson-68-keep-looking-ahead/.</ref> She married her high school sweetheart and had five children during a marriage that lasted 19 years.<ref name="ageist-profile" /> Johnson built a successful career at FedEx, starting in the secretarial pool and advancing to computer operations management over a decade of employment.<ref name="ageist-profile" />
Johnson was born on May 30, 1955, in Olive Branch, Mississippi. She was one of nine children. Her parents were sharecroppers, and the family had little money.<ref name="npr-pardonczar" /> She became pregnant while in high school. In 1979 she moved to Memphis, Tennessee, looking for work.<ref name="cando-clemency">{{cite web |title=Alice Marie Johnson - FREE AT LAST |url=https://www.candoclemency.com/alice-marie-johnson/ |publisher=CAN-DO Clemency |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Johnson's life unraveled rapidly.<ref name="mic-profile">Mic, "Alice Marie Johnson," video profile, 2017.</ref> She lost her position at FedEx due to a gambling addiction, her 19-year marriage ended in divorce, and her youngest son was killed in a motorcycle accident.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> Johnson filed for bankruptcy in 1991, followed by the foreclosure of her home.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> At the time of her arrest, she was a single mother of five children struggling to make ends meet.<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" />
In Memphis she found a job at FedEx and stayed about a decade. She married and raised children. The arrangement held for years. Then it came apart fast. She developed a gambling habit and lost the FedEx job. A divorce followed. Her youngest son was killed in a motorcycle accident.<ref name="heavy-facts">{{cite news |title=Alice Marie Johnson: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know |url=https://heavy.com/news/2018/05/alice-marie-johnson/ |work=Heavy.com |date=2018-05 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


== Criminal Charges and Conviction ==
Money problems followed. She filed for bankruptcy in 1991, and her home went into foreclosure. With no steady income, she took up with a Memphis cocaine trafficking ring. Her role was relaying coded phone messages between members of the operation. She did not handle the drugs herself. Her part in the conspiracy was still large enough to bring federal charges.<ref name="cando-clemency" />


=== Arrest and Prosecution ===
== Conviction and Life Sentence ==


Alice Marie Johnson was arrested in 1993 as part of a federal investigation into a Memphis-based cocaine trafficking organization.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> In 1996, she was convicted on eight federal criminal counts, including conspiracy to possess cocaine, attempted possession of cocaine, money laundering, and structuring.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> The structuring charge stemmed from her purchase of a house with a down payment structured to avoid the $10,000 reporting threshold.<ref name="heavy-profile" />
A federal grand jury in the Western District of Tennessee indicted Johnson on January 21, 1993, along with 15 other defendants. The charge was conspiracy to run a multimillion-dollar cocaine operation out of Memphis.<ref name="cando-clemency" /> She was arrested in 1993.


The Memphis operation involved over a dozen individuals and was connected to Colombian drug dealers based in Texas.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> The federal indictment named 16 defendants and described Johnson as a leader in a multi-million dollar cocaine ring, detailing dozens of drug transactions and deliveries.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> Evidence presented at trial showed the operation dealt in 2,000 to 3,000 kilograms of cocaine.<ref name="heavy-profile" />
A jury convicted her in 1996 on eight federal counts. The counts covered drug conspiracy, attempted possession of cocaine, money laundering, and structuring. The structuring charge came from a house purchase. She had broken the down payment into amounts under the $10,000 threshold that forces banks to report cash transactions to the federal government.<ref name="npr-pardonczar" />


Johnson has consistently maintained that she never personally sold drugs or handled drug shipments.<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" /> According to her account, her role was to relay coded telephone messages between parties involved in the organization and to hold money for one of the individuals involved.<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" /> She has described herself as a "telephone mule" rather than a drug dealer.<ref name="ageist-profile" />
The organization moved large amounts of cocaine. At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Julia Smith Gibbons described Johnson as "the quintessential entrepreneur" in an operation that handled between 2,000 and 3,000 kilograms of cocaine.<ref name="cando-clemency" /> The drug weight drove the sentence. Under the mandatory minimum scheme Congress passed during the 1980s and 1990s drug enforcement push, the quantity set the floor regardless of a defendant's role or record.


Ten of Johnson's co-defendants testified against her in exchange for reduced or dropped charges.<ref name="justice-project">The Justice Project Texas, "From Life to After Life: Alice Marie Johnson's Story of Hope, Faith, and Redemption," February 15, 2022, https://www.thejusticeprojecttexas.com/blog/7q6rbxtq8czm8ol5edhr6al96udhr5.</ref> These co-defendants received sentences ranging from probation without jail time to 10 years imprisonment.<ref name="justice-project" /> Johnson, despite having no prior criminal convictions, received the longest sentence of anyone charged in the conspiracy.<ref name="millennial-mag">Millennial Magazine, "5 Things You Should Know About Alice Marie Johnson," July 25, 2018, https://millennialmagazine.com/2018/07/25/5-things-you-should-know-about-alice-marie-johnson/.</ref>
In 1997 Gibbons sentenced Johnson to life imprisonment without parole.<ref name="aclu" /> Johnson was 41. She had no prior record. Absent a presidential act, the sentence meant she would die in prison.


=== Sentencing ===
== Incarceration and Advocacy ==


In 1997, U.S. District Judge Julia Gibbons sentenced Alice Marie Johnson to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 25 years.<ref name="justice-project" /> At the sentencing hearing, Judge Gibbons described Johnson as "the quintessential entrepreneur" in the drug operation, noting that it had a "very significant" impact on the community.<ref name="heavy-profile" />
Johnson began her term at the Federal Medical Center in Carswell, Texas, the federal prison hospital for women. There she trained as a hospice volunteer and sat with dying prisoners.<ref name="cando-clemency" /> She was later moved to FCI Aliceville in Alabama, closer to her family in Memphis.


Johnson's sentence was imposed under federal mandatory minimum sentencing laws that required severe penalties for drug-related offenses.<ref name="aclu-report">American Civil Liberties Union, "A Living Death: Life Without Parole for Nonviolent Offenses," 2013, https://www.aclu.org/report/living-death-life-without-parole-nonviolent-offenses.</ref> These laws removed judicial discretion and mandated life sentences for certain drug quantities and conspiracy charges regardless of the defendant's role in the offense or criminal history.<ref name="aclu-report" /> As of January 2018, 1,545 people in federal prisons were serving life without parole for drug offenses.<ref name="aclu-release" />
She drew no disciplinary infractions across more than two decades inside. That record carried weight when she sought clemency. Her warden, her case manager, a captain, and a vocational instructor each wrote letters backing her petition. Letters from facility staff at that level are uncommon in clemency files.<ref name="cando-clemency" />


Johnson's case was featured in the ACLU's 2013 report "A Living Death: Life Without Parole for Nonviolent Offenses," which documented the stories of individuals serving permanent sentences for nonviolent crimes.<ref name="aclu-report" /> Her case became a focal point for advocates who argued that such sentences were disproportionate to the offenses committed and represented a broader pattern of excessive punishment in the federal system.<ref name="aclu-release" />
Johnson kept busy inside. She was ordained as a minister. She wrote and staged plays and pulled other women into the productions. She organized a Special Olympics event at her facility. She taught classes and mentored other prisoners. She has said her Christian faith carried her through the years.<ref name="localmemphis-memoir">{{cite news |title=Alice Marie Johnson discusses her journey to freedom in new memoir |url=https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/local/alice-marie-johnson-discusses-her-journey-to-freedom-in-new-memoir |work=Local Memphis |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


== Incarceration ==
Her case reached a national audience in 2017. The digital media company Mic produced a short video about her sentence, and it spread on social media. Kim Kardashian saw it. Kardashian posted about the case, called the sentence "so unfair," and began working to get Johnson out.<ref name="harpersbazaar-kim">{{cite news |title=Who Is Alice Marie Johnson? Kim Kardashian Meets Donald Trump About Prison Reform |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a20968667/who-is-alice-marie-johnson-kim-kardashian-prison-reform/ |work=Harper's Bazaar |date=2018-06 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


=== Prison Conduct and Activities ===
Kardashian worked with Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor, who had made sentencing reform a White House priority. In late May 2018 Kardashian met Trump in the Oval Office and pressed Johnson's case in person.<ref name="wapo-clemency" />


Alice Marie Johnson served her sentence at various Federal Correctional Institutions, including time at facilities in Texas and Alabama, before ultimately being housed at the Federal Correctional Institution in Aliceville, Alabama.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> During her 21 years of incarceration, Johnson became a model inmate with a clean disciplinary record, and her warden supported her release.<ref name="heavy-profile" />
== Commutation and Pardon ==


Johnson relied heavily on her Christian faith during her imprisonment, eventually becoming an ordained minister behind bars.<ref name="amazon-book" /> She served as a hospice worker for dying inmates, mentored other incarcerated women, and became known for writing and directing faith-based plays and theatrical productions for the prison population.<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" /> A staff member reportedly told Johnson that "the whole compound is watching you, including staff" and encouraged her to continue her positive activities.<ref name="justice-project" />
On June 6, 2018, Trump commuted Johnson's sentence and ordered her release that day. By the count cited in news coverage, she had served 21 years, seven months, and six days.<ref name="npr-release">{{cite news |title=Woman Released After Trump Commutes Life Sentence For Nonviolent Drug Offense |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/06/06/617513060/president-trump-commutes-sentence-of-grandmother-serving-life-in-prison |work=NPR |date=2018-06-06 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> A commutation ends a sentence. It does not erase the conviction. Johnson left prison still carrying her federal record and the civil disabilities that come with it.


In 2017, Johnson put on more plays and theatrical productions than in any other year of her incarceration.<ref name="justice-project" /> Her work brought comfort and hope to other inmates and staff, and she has said that "in that place of trouble, that is where I blossomed."<ref name="justice-project" /> During her time in prison, Johnson also became a grandmother and great-grandmother, experiences she could only share through limited visits and phone calls.<ref name="aclu-release" />
She spoke at the Republican National Convention on August 27, 2020, and praised Trump's work on criminal justice. The next day, August 28, Trump granted her a full pardon from the Oval Office with Johnson present. "We're giving Alice a full pardon," he said.<ref name="nbc-pardon">{{cite news |title=Trump gives Alice Johnson a full pardon a day after her RNC speech |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-gives-alice-johnson-full-pardon-day-after-her-rnc-n1238726 |work=NBC News |date=2020-08-28 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> The pardon wiped out the conviction and restored her civil rights.<ref name="pbs-pardon" />


=== Clemency Efforts Under Obama Administration ===
After the RNC appearance, some commentators questioned whether Johnson had become a campaign prop. She rejected the framing. She said she was "not a prop or puppet" and that she would vote her conscience.<ref name="cbs-prop">{{cite news |title=Alice Johnson says she's not a "pawn" for Trump after RNC speech |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-alice-johnson-rnc-speech-pardon-vote-november/ |work=CBS News |date=2020-08-29 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


Johnson's case was one of 16,776 petitions filed in the Obama administration's 2014 clemency initiative, which sought to reduce sentences for nonviolent drug offenders serving lengthy federal prison terms.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> In 2016, she wrote an op-ed for CNN titled asking for forgiveness and a second chance.<ref name="heavy-profile" />
== Criminal Justice Reform Work ==


In December 2016, President Barack Obama pardoned 231 individuals, many of whom had similar drug-related charges to Johnson.<ref name="harpers-bazaar">Harper's Bazaar, "Who Is Alice Marie Johnson? Kim Kardashian Meets Donald Trump About Prison Reform," August 27, 2020, https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a20968667/who-is-alice-marie-johnson-kim-kardashian-prison-reform/.</ref> Johnson was not among those who received clemency, despite meeting all of the stated criteria for the program.<ref name="harpers-bazaar" /> Her application was denied just before Obama left office, and the reasons for the denial were never made clear.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> Johnson later said, "When the criteria came out for clemency, I thought for sure—in fact, I was certain that I'd met and exceeded all of the criteria."<ref name="harpers-bazaar" />
After her release Johnson turned to advocacy full time. She argued against mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses and pushed for wider use of clemency. She backed the First Step Act, the sentencing reform bill Trump signed in December 2018, and appeared at events tied to it.<ref name="npr-pardonczar" />


== Clemency and Release ==
She founded the Taking Action for Good Foundation, a nonprofit that helps prisoners prepare clemency petitions and raises public attention on individual cases.<ref name="tag-mission">{{cite web |title=Our Mission |url=https://takingactionforgood.org/our-mission/ |publisher=Taking Action for Good |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


=== Kim Kardashian's Advocacy ===
HarperCollins published her memoir, ''After Life: My Journey from Incarceration to Freedom'', in May 2019. She co-wrote it with Nancy French, and Kim Kardashian wrote the foreword. The book covers her childhood, her path into the drug trade, her years in prison, and her release.<ref name="amazon-afterlife">{{cite web |title=After Life: My Journey from Incarceration to Freedom |url=https://www.harpercollins.com/products/after-life-alice-marie-johnson |publisher=HarperCollins |date=2019 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> She became a frequent speaker on her case and on sentencing policy.


Alice Marie Johnson's case gained national attention in October 2017 when reality television star and businesswoman Kim Kardashian saw a video about Johnson's story produced by Mic Media.<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" /> Kardashian posted about Johnson on social media, calling her sentence "so unfair" and began advocating for her release.<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" />
=== Pardon Czar ===


Kardashian enlisted the help of her Los Angeles-based attorney, Shawn Holley, to work on Johnson's case.<ref name="harpers-bazaar" /> Holley, along with attorneys Jennifer Turner from the American Civil Liberties Union and Brittany Barnett from the Buried Alive Project, represented Johnson in her application for clemency.<ref name="aclu-release" /> Barnett, a Dallas attorney, had been working on Johnson's case since her time as a law student at Southern Methodist University and later founded the Buried Alive Project specifically to end sentences of life without parole for federal drug offenses.<ref name="dallas-news">Dallas News, "Before Kim Kardashian, Dallas attorney fought for imprisoned grandmother freed by Trump," June 9, 2018, https://www.dallasnews.com/news/courts/2018/06/09/before-kim-kardashian-dallas-attorney-fought-for-imprisoned-grandmother-freed-by-trump/.</ref>
On February 20, 2025, at a Black History Month event at the White House, Trump named Johnson to a new role he called "pardon czar." She is the first person to hold the title.<ref name="foxnews-pardonczar">{{cite news |title=Trump appoints Alice Marie Johnson 'pardon czar' during Black History Month event at White House |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-appoints-alice-marie-johnson-pardon-czar-black-history-month-event-white-house |work=Fox News |date=2025-02-21 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> The job is advisory. She reviews federal clemency cases and recommends candidates to the president. "Czar" is an informal label in American politics for an official who oversees one policy area. It is not a cabinet post or a statutory office. To take the role, Johnson stepped down from her foundation.<ref name="cbs-pardonczar" />


In 2018, Kardashian and President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner worked to persuade Trump to grant clemency to Johnson.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> In late May 2018, Kardashian traveled to the White House and met with President Trump in the Oval Office to personally advocate for Johnson's release.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> The meeting drew significant media attention and represented one of the most high-profile celebrity interventions in a clemency case in recent history.<ref name="harpers-bazaar" />
The appointment put a formal title on work she had already been doing. During Trump's first term she had submitted more than 100 clemency petitions and helped secure release for close to 50 people, working with Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and others.<ref name="actionnews5">{{cite news |title=Mid-South native Alice Marie Johnson appointed as Pres. Trump's Pardon Czar |url=https://www.actionnews5.com/2025/02/24/mid-south-native-alice-marie-johnson-appointed-pres-trumps-pardon-czar/ |work=Action News 5 |date=2025-02-24 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


=== Presidential Commutation ===
Johnson has described her instructions from Trump as "specific marching orders" to "find people just like you that should not, this should not have happened."<ref name="newsweek-pardonczar">{{cite news |title=Who is Alice Johnson? Trump's new 'pardon czar' |url=https://www.newsweek.com/who-alice-johnson-trump-pardon-czar-2035375 |work=Newsweek |date=2025-02-24 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> She has said she screens for community safety, real reentry plans, demonstrated rehabilitation, and people who have served substantial time. She has also said part of the focus is on those she views as "victims of lawfare."<ref name="cbs-pardonczar" />


On June 6, 2018, one week after Kardashian's White House meeting, President Donald Trump commuted Alice Marie Johnson's sentence, and she was released from the Federal Correctional Institution in Aliceville, Alabama.<ref name="aclu-release" /> Johnson had served 21 years of her life sentence.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> The commutation replaced her original court-ordered sentence but did not change her conviction.<ref name="wreg-release">WREG Memphis, "Alice Marie Johnson back in Memphis after 21 years behind bars," June 7, 2018, http://wreg.com/2018/06/07/alice-marie-johnson-back-in-memphis-after-21-years-behind-bars/.</ref>
Reaction split. Van Jones, a former Obama advisor, called the pick "very good" and noted Johnson "has actually been incarcerated."<ref name="vj-praise">{{cite news |title=Van Jones praises Trump for 'very good' choice with new pardon czar pick |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/van-jones-praises-trump-very-210012848.html |work=Yahoo News |date=2026-02-26 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> Others in the reform field raised concerns about an advisory channel that sits outside the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney. Insha Rahman of the Vera Institute of Justice said the arrangement "should cause some concern" given the lack of clarity around the role.<ref name="capitalb-pardonczar">{{cite news |title=Trump Names Alice Marie Johnson as the Nation's First 'Pardon Czar' |url=https://capitalbnews.org/trump-alice-marie-johnson-pardon-czar/ |work=Capital B News |date=2026-02-28 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


Kim Kardashian personally called Johnson to deliver the news of her commutation.<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" /> When the two women met face-to-face for the first time, just one week after Johnson's release, Kardashian said "I love this woman."<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" /> Johnson told the ACLU that Kardashian's involvement was "one of the biggest blessings of my life" and that they shared "a heart connection."<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" />
In May 2025 Johnson marked a batch of 26 clemencies and pardons. She described her working relationship with the DOJ pardon attorney as "tag teaming freedom."<ref name="thehill-clemency">{{cite news |title=Trump gives clemency to more than 20 people, including political allies |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5323686-trump-clemency-chrisley-hoover-rowland-grimm/ |work=The Hill |date=2026-05-29 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> Some of those grants drew criticism. Reality television figures Todd and Julie Chrisley, convicted of bank fraud and tax evasion in 2022, received pardons. Johnson defended the move and called the couple victims of "a weaponized justice system."<ref name="cnn-chrisley">{{cite news |title=Todd and Julie Chrisley can thank their daughter Savannah Chrisley and advocate Alice Johnson for their pardons |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/28/entertainment/todd-julie-chrisley-savannah-chrisley-alice-johnson |work=CNN |date=2026-05-28 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> Critics noted that several of the white-collar and politically connected grants did not match her stated focus on nonviolent offenders.<ref name="thegrio-token">{{cite news |title=Alice Johnson, Trump's pardon czar, seen by some as Black political 'token' amid controversial pardons |url=https://thegrio.com/2025/05/29/alice-johnson-trump-pardon-czar-black-political-token/ |work=TheGrio |date=2026-05-29 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


The Washington Post's Wonkblog described the commutation as somewhat surprising given Trump's past statements in favor of executing drug dealers.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> However, the commutation was part of a series of clemency acts Trump made in high-profile cases brought to him by associates and allies.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> Upon her release, Johnson returned to her family in Memphis, Tennessee, and immediately committed to fighting for sentencing reform for other nonviolent first-time offenders.<ref name="wreg-release" />
== Frequently Asked Questions ==


=== Full Presidential Pardon ===
{{FAQPage|
{{FAQ
|question = What did Alice Marie Johnson do?
|answer = A federal jury in the Western District of Tennessee convicted Johnson in 1996 on eight counts tied to a Memphis cocaine trafficking organization. The counts covered drug conspiracy, money laundering, and structuring. Prosecutors described her role as relaying coded messages among members of the operation. She was a first-time, nonviolent offender.<ref name="npr-pardonczar" />
}}


On February 5, 2019, Alice Marie Johnson was a guest of President Trump at the State of the Union address.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> During his speech, Trump asked Johnson to stand and be recognized, and she received a standing ovation from members of Congress.<ref name="heavy-profile" />
{{FAQ
|question = How long was Alice Marie Johnson's sentence?
|answer = Judge Julia Smith Gibbons sentenced her in 1997 to life imprisonment without parole. The drug quantity, between 2,000 and 3,000 kilograms of cocaine, triggered a mandatory minimum that set the sentence. She served about 21 years and 7 months before her release.<ref name="aclu" /><ref name="npr-release" />
}}


On August 28, 2020, one day after Johnson spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention, President Trump granted her a full presidential pardon.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> The pardon, unlike the earlier commutation, formally forgave Johnson's federal conviction.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> In October 2020, Trump also commuted the sentence of Curtis McDonald, the last of the 16 defendants in the original Memphis drug case who remained incarcerated.<ref name="action-news-mcdonald">Action News 5, "Memphis man convicted alongside Alice Marie Johnson reconnects with family after being granted clemency," October 21, 2020, https://www.actionnews5.com/2020/10/21/memphis-man-convicted-alongside-alice-marie-johnson-reconnects-with-family-after-being-granted-clemency/.</ref> Johnson and McDonald had been the only two defendants in the case who received life sentences.<ref name="action-news-mcdonald" />
{{FAQ
|question = Where was Alice Marie Johnson incarcerated?
|answer = She started at the Federal Medical Center in Carswell, Texas, the federal prison hospital for women. She was later moved to FCI Aliceville in Alabama, where she was held until her 2018 release.<ref name="cando-clemency" />
}}


== Post-Release Advocacy ==
{{FAQ
|question = When was Alice Marie Johnson released?
|answer = Trump commuted her sentence on June 6, 2018, and she was released from FCI Aliceville the same day. The commutation ended her sentence but left the conviction in place. A full pardon followed on August 28, 2020.<ref name="wapo-clemency" /><ref name="pbs-pardon" />
}}


=== Criminal Justice Reform Work ===
{{FAQ
|question = What is the difference between her commutation and her pardon?
|answer = The 2018 commutation reduced her sentence to time served and freed her, but she kept her federal conviction and the civil disabilities tied to it. The 2020 full pardon erased the conviction itself and restored her civil rights.<ref name="pbs-pardon" />
}}


Since her release, Alice Marie Johnson has become one of the most visible advocates for criminal justice reform in the United States.<ref name="council-cj">Council on Criminal Justice, "Alice Marie Johnson," accessed 2025, https://counciloncj.org/ccj-directory/alice-marie-johnson/.</ref> In July 2018, just one month after her release, she called for an end to mandatory minimum sentencing laws.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> She has since spoken at numerous events about her experiences and the need for sentencing reform, testifying before legislators and meeting with governors and other elected officials.<ref name="apb-speakers">APB Speakers, "Book Alice Marie Johnson for Speaking, Events and Appearances," accessed 2025, https://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker/alice-marie-johnson/.</ref>
{{FAQ
|question = What is a "pardon czar"?
|answer = "Czar" is an informal term in American politics for an official the president appoints to oversee one policy area. The pardon czar role is advisory and is not a cabinet post or a statutory office. Johnson reviews federal clemency cases and recommends candidates to the president, who makes all final decisions under Article II of the Constitution.<ref name="cbs-pardonczar" />
}}


Johnson has been deemed a "catalyst" for the successful passage of the First Step Act, which was signed into law on December 21, 2018.<ref name="council-cj" /> The bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation expanded early release programs and loosened mandatory minimum sentences, including those for nonviolent drug offenders.<ref name="axios-rnc">Axios, "Alice Johnson, whose life sentence was commuted by Trump, addresses RNC," August 28, 2020, https://www.axios.com/2020/08/28/alice-johnson-trump-commuted-rnc.</ref> The First Step Act led to the release of at least 3,000 inmates by the end of 2019.<ref name="axios-rnc" /> Johnson was present at the White House when Trump signed the legislation into law and later spoke at a White House celebration of the act in April 2019.<ref name="black-enterprise">Black Enterprise, "Alice Johnson, Whose Sentence Was Commuted By Trump Spoke About Criminal Justice Reform At The RNC," August 28, 2020, https://www.blackenterprise.com/alice-johnson-whose-sentence-was-commuted-by-trump-spoke-about-criminal-justice-reform-at-the-rnc/.</ref>
{{FAQ
|question = Can Alice Marie Johnson grant pardons?
|answer = No. Only the president can grant federal pardons and commutations. Johnson's role is to review cases and make recommendations. The president decides.<ref name="capitalb-pardonczar" />
}}


In September 2019, Johnson met with Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee to promote greater access to expungement, prisoner education, and reduction in barriers to reentry.<ref name="heavy-profile" /> She has worked with organizations dedicated to criminal justice reform and prison reform and has advocated for clemency for numerous other individuals serving lengthy sentences for nonviolent offenses.<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" />
{{FAQ
 
|question = Can state prisoners apply to her for clemency?
=== Taking Action for Good Foundation ===
|answer = No. The president's clemency power covers federal offenses only. People convicted of state crimes must seek relief from their state's governor or pardon board.<ref name="capitalb-pardonczar" />
 
}}
Alice Marie Johnson founded the Taking Action for Good Foundation (TAG) to assist others in obtaining clemency and to continue her criminal justice reform work.<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" /> Through her leadership of TAG, Johnson has devoted herself to creating what she describes as "a cultural shift for restorative justice."<ref name="council-cj" />
}}
 
Through her foundation and personal advocacy, Johnson has submitted over 100 clemency petitions and helped nearly 50 people gain their freedom.<ref name="action-news-appointment">Action News 5, "Mid-South native Alice Marie Johnson appointed as Pres. Trump's Pardon Czar," February 23, 2025, https://www.actionnews5.com/2025/02/24/mid-south-native-alice-marie-johnson-appointed-pres-trumps-pardon-czar/.</ref> She worked closely with Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and other members of the Trump administration during his first term to advocate for individual clemency cases.<ref name="action-news-appointment" /> Johnson has described advocating for prisoners directly in the Oval Office and even on Air Force One.<ref name="action-news-appointment" />
 
=== Speaking, Writing, and Public Recognition ===
 
Johnson has appeared on numerous media outlets advocating for criminal justice reform and has been a featured speaker and panelist at instrumental events and summits across the country.<ref name="apb-speakers" /> She has been recognized with multiple awards for her advocacy work, including being designated as one of four women honored as a "Women's Right Defender" at the United Nations on International Women's Day.<ref name="apb-speakers" /> She received the CAOC Advocate for Justice Award in 2019, the Dream Blazer Award from the US Dream Academy, and a Community Advocacy Award from the NACDL Foundation for Criminal Justice.<ref name="apb-speakers" />
 
In 2019, Johnson published her memoir, ''After Life: My Journey from Incarceration to Freedom'', with a foreword by Kim Kardashian West.<ref name="amazon-book" /> The book details her childhood in Mississippi, her path to incarceration, her faith-driven perseverance during 21 years in prison, and her advocacy work following release.<ref name="amazon-book" /> Kirkus Reviews called it "a moving, inspirational story that makes a powerful argument for sentencing reform."<ref name="amazon-book" />
 
On August 27, 2020, Johnson delivered a speech at the Republican National Convention, thanking President Trump for commuting her sentence and praising the First Step Act.<ref name="abc-rnc">ABC News, "Alice Johnson thanks Trump at RNC for commuting prison sentence," August 28, 2020, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/alice-johnson-trump-rnc-commuting-prison-sentence/story?id=72668880.</ref> In her speech, Johnson said, "I was once told that the only way I would ever be reunited with my family would be as a corpse. But, by the grace of God and the compassion of President Donald John Trump, I stand before you tonight, and I assure you I am not a ghost."<ref name="abc-rnc" /> She described the First Step Act as "real justice reform" that "brought joy, hope, and freedom to thousands of well-deserving people."<ref name="wcnc-rnc">WCNC, "Alice Johnson thanks Trump at RNC for criminal justice reform," August 2020, https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/alice-johnson-rnc-speech/507-4cd35333-cfef-4dae-8ff9-f8257f2a44eb.</ref>
 
== Appointment as Pardon Czar ==
 
=== Appointment and Role ===
 
On February 20, 2025, during a Black History Month event at the White House, President Donald Trump announced that he was appointing Alice Marie Johnson as his "Pardon Czar."<ref name="hill-appointment" /> In this advisory role, Johnson makes recommendations to the President regarding which federal prisoners should receive clemency, including presidential pardons and sentence commutations.<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" />
 
Trump praised Johnson at the announcement, saying "You've been an inspiration to people, and we're going to be listening to your recommendations on pardons."<ref name="hill-appointment" /> He told Johnson, "You're going to find people just like you that this should not have happened."<ref name="hill-appointment" /> Johnson became the first formerly incarcerated person to hold this advisory position.<ref name="prison-legal-news">Prison Legal News, "Former Prisoner Appointed President's Pardon Czar," May 1, 2025, https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2025/may/1/former-prisoner-appointed-presidents-pardon-czar/.</ref>
 
Johnson described the appointment as a continuation of the clemency work she had already been doing since her release.<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" /> She stated that Trump had given her "specific marching orders" and that she had previously brought many pardon cases before the President.<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" /> Johnson noted her established relationships with Attorney General Pam Bondi and other administration officials who could vouch for her work.<ref name="action-news-appointment" />
 
=== Approach and Priorities ===
 
Johnson has emphasized that "safety in the communities" is a top priority when making pardon recommendations.<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" /> She aims to ensure that those who receive commuted sentences have not just a second chance but also "their best chance of success."<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" /> Johnson has stated, "I don't want to help people come home and then at the same time they're set up for failure."<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" />
 
Her approach includes follow-up and check-ins with individuals who receive clemency, not to "catch them doing something wrong but to make sure that they have things that will help them make right decisions," such as mental health support.<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" /> Johnson has also stated she would work with Pastor Paula White-Cain of the White House Faith Office and Attorney General Pam Bondi in developing her recommendations.<ref name="prison-legal-news" />
 
=== Reception ===
 
Johnson's appointment received praise from criminal justice reform advocates across the political spectrum.<ref name="wapo-appointment">The Washington Post, "Alice Marie Johnson, given clemency in Trump's first term, tapped to oversee pardons," February 27, 2025, https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/02/27/alice-marie-johnson-pardon-czar/.</ref> CNN political commentator Van Jones, who had worked with the Trump administration on the First Step Act, called the appointment "a very good thing."<ref name="eurweb-van-jones">EURweb, "Van Jones Praises Trump's Pick of Alice Marie Johnson," March 1, 2025, https://eurweb.com/2025/van-jones-praises-trumps-pick-of-alice-marie-johnson/.</ref> Jones stated, "Having someone who's a formerly incarcerated person in charge of going through all these pardons and making sure that people get a fair shot—I think that's a very good thing."<ref name="eurweb-van-jones" />
 
== Legal and Policy Impact ==
 
Alice Marie Johnson's case has had a lasting impact on federal criminal justice policy and public discourse around sentencing reform.<ref name="council-cj" />
 
=== Clemency Reform ===
 
Johnson's case highlighted both the potential and the limitations of the presidential clemency process.<ref name="aclu-release" /> Her story demonstrated how individual advocacy, celebrity involvement, and media attention could successfully bring cases to presidential attention, while also raising questions about the accessibility and fairness of a clemency system that often depends on such factors.<ref name="harpers-bazaar" /> Her appointment as Pardon Czar represents an institutional effort to apply the lessons of her case more systematically to federal clemency decisions.<ref name="prison-legal-news" />
 
=== Sentencing Reform ===
 
Johnson's story contributed to bipartisan support for the First Step Act of 2018, which included provisions for retroactive sentencing relief, earned time credits, and modifications to mandatory minimum sentences for certain drug offenses.<ref name="axios-rnc" /> Johnson has stated that her commutation "really triggered" Trump's interest in including sentencing reform provisions in the First Step Act.<ref name="fox-rnc">Fox News, "Newly pardoned Alice Johnson blasts media response to her speaking at RNC as 'a huge insult to me'," August 29, 2020, https://www.foxnews.com/media/alice-johnson-trump-pardon-rnc-speech.</ref> The legislation represented the most significant federal criminal justice reform in decades.<ref name="council-cj" />
 
=== Reentry and Second Chances ===
 
Johnson's successful reintegration into society following 21 years of incarceration has been cited as evidence of the potential for rehabilitation and the value of second chance opportunities.<ref name="npr-pardon-czar" /> Her path from prisoner to author, advocate, and presidential advisor demonstrates the possibilities available to returning citizens when provided with support and opportunity.<ref name="council-cj" /> Her story has been used to argue for expanded reentry programs, reduced barriers to employment and housing for formerly incarcerated individuals, and greater investment in rehabilitation during incarceration.<ref name="apb-speakers" />
 
=== Advocacy Model ===
 
Johnson's case established a model for how celebrity advocacy, media attention, and sustained legal efforts can influence clemency decisions and bring attention to criminal justice reform issues.<ref name="dallas-news" /> The collaboration between attorneys like Brittany Barnett, celebrity advocates like Kim Kardashian, and organizations like the ACLU demonstrated an effective multi-pronged approach to individual clemency cases that has since been replicated in other cases.<ref name="dallas-news" />
 
== Personal Life ==
 
Alice Marie Johnson currently resides in Olive Branch, Mississippi, near Memphis, Tennessee.<ref name="ageist-profile" /> She is the mother of four living children and has seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.<ref name="ageist-profile" /> Her youngest son was killed in a motorcycle accident before her incarceration.<ref name="heavy-profile" />
 
Johnson is a devout Christian and credits her faith with sustaining her through her years of imprisonment.<ref name="amazon-book" /> She became an ordained minister while incarcerated and continues to be active in her faith community.<ref name="amazon-book" /> She attends Brown Baptist Church in the Memphis area.<ref name="action-news-appointment" />
 
Johnson has spoken about rebuilding her life after release, including establishing excellent credit without a co-signer and purchasing a home at a favorable interest rate.<ref name="ageist-profile" /> She has said, "To go from being the daughter of former sharecroppers to now being an advisor to the president of the United States of America, who could do that but God."<ref name="action-news-appointment" />
 
== Terminology ==
 
This section defines key terms relevant to Alice Marie Johnson's case and her advocacy work.<ref name="aclu-report" />
 
* '''Clemency''' refers to the executive power to reduce or eliminate criminal penalties. It includes both pardons, which forgive the conviction, and commutations, which reduce the sentence while leaving the conviction intact.<ref name="aclu-release" />
 
* '''Commutation''' is a form of clemency that reduces a sentence but does not overturn the underlying conviction. Johnson's sentence was commuted in 2018, meaning her life sentence was ended but her conviction remained until her full pardon in 2020.<ref name="wreg-release" />
 
* '''Pardon''' is a form of clemency that formally forgives a federal criminal conviction. Johnson received a full pardon from President Trump in August 2020.<ref name="heavy-profile" />
 
* '''Mandatory Minimum Sentencing''' refers to laws that require judges to impose minimum prison terms for certain offenses, removing judicial discretion. Johnson's life sentence was imposed under such laws.<ref name="aclu-report" />
 
* '''First Step Act''' is the bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation signed into law in December 2018. It reduced certain mandatory minimum sentences, expanded early release programs, and created earned time credits for federal prisoners.<ref name="axios-rnc" />
 
* '''Pardon Czar''' is an informal title for Alice Marie Johnson's advisory role in the Trump administration, where she recommends federal prisoners for presidential clemency.<ref name="hill-appointment" />
 
* '''Life Without Parole''' is a sentence of permanent imprisonment with no possibility of release except through executive clemency. Johnson was originally sentenced to life without parole plus 25 years.<ref name="aclu-report" />
 
== See also ==
 
* [[Presidential Clemency and Pardons]] – Overview of federal clemency processes
* [[First_Step_Act:_Overview_and_Implementation|First Step Act]] – Federal criminal justice reform legislation
* [[Compassionate Release Policies]] – Federal compassionate release mechanisms
 
== External Links ==
 
* [https://www.takingactionforgood.org Taking Action for Good Foundation]
* [https://www.amazon.com/After-Life-Journey-Incarceration-Freedom/dp/0062936107 ''After Life: My Journey from Incarceration to Freedom'' on Amazon]
* [https://www.aclu.org/report/living-death-life-without-parole-nonviolent-offenses ACLU Report: A Living Death - Life Without Parole for Nonviolent Offenses]


== References ==
== References ==
<references />
<references />


{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Alice Marie}}
[[Category:High-Profile_Federal_Offenders]]
[[Category:High-Profile_Federal_Offenders]]
[[Category:Drug_Offenses]]
[[Category:Released]]
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{{MetaDescription|Alice Marie Johnson — criminal justice reform advocate who served nearly 22 years of a federal life drug sentence before her 2018 commutation and 2020 pardon, later named White House pardon czar.}}

Latest revision as of 13:26, 3 June 2026

Alice Marie Johnson
Born: May 30, 1955
Olive Branch, Mississippi
Charges: Drug conspiracy, Money laundering, Structuring
Sentence: Life without parole (commuted 2018; pardoned 2020)
Facility: FCI Aliceville
Status: Released/Pardoned

Alice Marie Johnson (born May 30, 1955) is an American criminal justice reform advocate and author. She served nearly 22 years of a life sentence in federal prison after a 1996 conviction in the Western District of Tennessee for her role in a Memphis cocaine trafficking organization.[1] Johnson was a first-time, nonviolent offender. The trial judge had little room to depart from federal mandatory minimums and imposed life without parole.[2]

Her case drew national attention after reality television personality Kim Kardashian took it up and brought it to the White House in 2018. President Donald Trump commuted Johnson's sentence on June 6, 2018, and she walked out of FCI Aliceville the same day.[3] Two years later, on August 28, 2020, one day after Johnson spoke at the Republican National Convention, Trump granted her a full pardon. The pardon erased the conviction itself, not just the remaining sentence.[4]

After her release Johnson became a public advocate for sentencing reform and clemency. She founded a foundation, published a memoir in 2019, and spoke widely about her case. In February 2025, during Trump's second term, he named her to a new advisory role he called "pardon czar." She is the first person to hold the title. The job is to review federal clemency cases and make recommendations to the president.[5]

Early Life

Johnson was born on May 30, 1955, in Olive Branch, Mississippi. She was one of nine children. Her parents were sharecroppers, and the family had little money.[1] She became pregnant while in high school. In 1979 she moved to Memphis, Tennessee, looking for work.[6]

In Memphis she found a job at FedEx and stayed about a decade. She married and raised children. The arrangement held for years. Then it came apart fast. She developed a gambling habit and lost the FedEx job. A divorce followed. Her youngest son was killed in a motorcycle accident.[7]

Money problems followed. She filed for bankruptcy in 1991, and her home went into foreclosure. With no steady income, she took up with a Memphis cocaine trafficking ring. Her role was relaying coded phone messages between members of the operation. She did not handle the drugs herself. Her part in the conspiracy was still large enough to bring federal charges.[6]

Conviction and Life Sentence

A federal grand jury in the Western District of Tennessee indicted Johnson on January 21, 1993, along with 15 other defendants. The charge was conspiracy to run a multimillion-dollar cocaine operation out of Memphis.[6] She was arrested in 1993.

A jury convicted her in 1996 on eight federal counts. The counts covered drug conspiracy, attempted possession of cocaine, money laundering, and structuring. The structuring charge came from a house purchase. She had broken the down payment into amounts under the $10,000 threshold that forces banks to report cash transactions to the federal government.[1]

The organization moved large amounts of cocaine. At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Julia Smith Gibbons described Johnson as "the quintessential entrepreneur" in an operation that handled between 2,000 and 3,000 kilograms of cocaine.[6] The drug weight drove the sentence. Under the mandatory minimum scheme Congress passed during the 1980s and 1990s drug enforcement push, the quantity set the floor regardless of a defendant's role or record.

In 1997 Gibbons sentenced Johnson to life imprisonment without parole.[2] Johnson was 41. She had no prior record. Absent a presidential act, the sentence meant she would die in prison.

Incarceration and Advocacy

Johnson began her term at the Federal Medical Center in Carswell, Texas, the federal prison hospital for women. There she trained as a hospice volunteer and sat with dying prisoners.[6] She was later moved to FCI Aliceville in Alabama, closer to her family in Memphis.

She drew no disciplinary infractions across more than two decades inside. That record carried weight when she sought clemency. Her warden, her case manager, a captain, and a vocational instructor each wrote letters backing her petition. Letters from facility staff at that level are uncommon in clemency files.[6]

Johnson kept busy inside. She was ordained as a minister. She wrote and staged plays and pulled other women into the productions. She organized a Special Olympics event at her facility. She taught classes and mentored other prisoners. She has said her Christian faith carried her through the years.[8]

Her case reached a national audience in 2017. The digital media company Mic produced a short video about her sentence, and it spread on social media. Kim Kardashian saw it. Kardashian posted about the case, called the sentence "so unfair," and began working to get Johnson out.[9]

Kardashian worked with Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor, who had made sentencing reform a White House priority. In late May 2018 Kardashian met Trump in the Oval Office and pressed Johnson's case in person.[3]

Commutation and Pardon

On June 6, 2018, Trump commuted Johnson's sentence and ordered her release that day. By the count cited in news coverage, she had served 21 years, seven months, and six days.[10] A commutation ends a sentence. It does not erase the conviction. Johnson left prison still carrying her federal record and the civil disabilities that come with it.

She spoke at the Republican National Convention on August 27, 2020, and praised Trump's work on criminal justice. The next day, August 28, Trump granted her a full pardon from the Oval Office with Johnson present. "We're giving Alice a full pardon," he said.[11] The pardon wiped out the conviction and restored her civil rights.[4]

After the RNC appearance, some commentators questioned whether Johnson had become a campaign prop. She rejected the framing. She said she was "not a prop or puppet" and that she would vote her conscience.[12]

Criminal Justice Reform Work

After her release Johnson turned to advocacy full time. She argued against mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses and pushed for wider use of clemency. She backed the First Step Act, the sentencing reform bill Trump signed in December 2018, and appeared at events tied to it.[1]

She founded the Taking Action for Good Foundation, a nonprofit that helps prisoners prepare clemency petitions and raises public attention on individual cases.[13]

HarperCollins published her memoir, After Life: My Journey from Incarceration to Freedom, in May 2019. She co-wrote it with Nancy French, and Kim Kardashian wrote the foreword. The book covers her childhood, her path into the drug trade, her years in prison, and her release.[14] She became a frequent speaker on her case and on sentencing policy.

Pardon Czar

On February 20, 2025, at a Black History Month event at the White House, Trump named Johnson to a new role he called "pardon czar." She is the first person to hold the title.[15] The job is advisory. She reviews federal clemency cases and recommends candidates to the president. "Czar" is an informal label in American politics for an official who oversees one policy area. It is not a cabinet post or a statutory office. To take the role, Johnson stepped down from her foundation.[5]

The appointment put a formal title on work she had already been doing. During Trump's first term she had submitted more than 100 clemency petitions and helped secure release for close to 50 people, working with Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and others.[16]

Johnson has described her instructions from Trump as "specific marching orders" to "find people just like you that should not, this should not have happened."[17] She has said she screens for community safety, real reentry plans, demonstrated rehabilitation, and people who have served substantial time. She has also said part of the focus is on those she views as "victims of lawfare."[5]

Reaction split. Van Jones, a former Obama advisor, called the pick "very good" and noted Johnson "has actually been incarcerated."[18] Others in the reform field raised concerns about an advisory channel that sits outside the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney. Insha Rahman of the Vera Institute of Justice said the arrangement "should cause some concern" given the lack of clarity around the role.[19]

In May 2025 Johnson marked a batch of 26 clemencies and pardons. She described her working relationship with the DOJ pardon attorney as "tag teaming freedom."[20] Some of those grants drew criticism. Reality television figures Todd and Julie Chrisley, convicted of bank fraud and tax evasion in 2022, received pardons. Johnson defended the move and called the couple victims of "a weaponized justice system."[21] Critics noted that several of the white-collar and politically connected grants did not match her stated focus on nonviolent offenders.[22]

Frequently Asked Questions


Q: What did Alice Marie Johnson do?

A federal jury in the Western District of Tennessee convicted Johnson in 1996 on eight counts tied to a Memphis cocaine trafficking organization. The counts covered drug conspiracy, money laundering, and structuring. Prosecutors described her role as relaying coded messages among members of the operation. She was a first-time, nonviolent offender.[1]



Q: How long was Alice Marie Johnson's sentence?

Judge Julia Smith Gibbons sentenced her in 1997 to life imprisonment without parole. The drug quantity, between 2,000 and 3,000 kilograms of cocaine, triggered a mandatory minimum that set the sentence. She served about 21 years and 7 months before her release.[2][10]



Q: Where was Alice Marie Johnson incarcerated?

She started at the Federal Medical Center in Carswell, Texas, the federal prison hospital for women. She was later moved to FCI Aliceville in Alabama, where she was held until her 2018 release.[6]



Q: When was Alice Marie Johnson released?

Trump commuted her sentence on June 6, 2018, and she was released from FCI Aliceville the same day. The commutation ended her sentence but left the conviction in place. A full pardon followed on August 28, 2020.[3][4]



Q: What is the difference between her commutation and her pardon?

The 2018 commutation reduced her sentence to time served and freed her, but she kept her federal conviction and the civil disabilities tied to it. The 2020 full pardon erased the conviction itself and restored her civil rights.[4]



Q: What is a "pardon czar"?

"Czar" is an informal term in American politics for an official the president appoints to oversee one policy area. The pardon czar role is advisory and is not a cabinet post or a statutory office. Johnson reviews federal clemency cases and recommends candidates to the president, who makes all final decisions under Article II of the Constitution.[5]



Q: Can Alice Marie Johnson grant pardons?

No. Only the president can grant federal pardons and commutations. Johnson's role is to review cases and make recommendations. The president decides.[19]



Q: Can state prisoners apply to her for clemency?

No. The president's clemency power covers federal offenses only. People convicted of state crimes must seek relief from their state's governor or pardon board.[19]


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Who is Alice Marie Johnson, Trump's newly appointed 'pardon czar'?".NPR.2025-02-25.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "President Commutes Life-Without-Parole Sentence of Alice Marie Johnson". American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Trump commutes life sentence of Alice Marie Johnson".Wagner, John.The Washington Post.2018-06-06.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Trump pardons Alice Johnson, who praised him in RNC speech".PBS NewsHour.2020-08-28.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Trump names Alice Johnson, pardoned in his first term, to be 'pardon czar'".CBS News.2025-02-21.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 "Alice Marie Johnson - FREE AT LAST". CAN-DO Clemency. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  7. ↑ "Alice Marie Johnson: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know".Heavy.com.2018-05.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  8. ↑ "Alice Marie Johnson discusses her journey to freedom in new memoir".Local Memphis.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  9. ↑ "Who Is Alice Marie Johnson? Kim Kardashian Meets Donald Trump About Prison Reform".Harper's Bazaar.2018-06.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Woman Released After Trump Commutes Life Sentence For Nonviolent Drug Offense".NPR.2018-06-06.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  11. ↑ "Trump gives Alice Johnson a full pardon a day after her RNC speech".NBC News.2020-08-28.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  12. ↑ "Alice Johnson says she's not a "pawn" for Trump after RNC speech".CBS News.2020-08-29.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  13. ↑ "Our Mission". Taking Action for Good. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  14. ↑ "After Life: My Journey from Incarceration to Freedom". HarperCollins. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  15. ↑ "Trump appoints Alice Marie Johnson 'pardon czar' during Black History Month event at White House".Fox News.2025-02-21.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  16. ↑ "Mid-South native Alice Marie Johnson appointed as Pres. Trump's Pardon Czar".Action News 5.2025-02-24.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  17. ↑ "Who is Alice Johnson? Trump's new 'pardon czar'".Newsweek.2025-02-24.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  18. ↑ "Van Jones praises Trump for 'very good' choice with new pardon czar pick".Yahoo News.2026-02-26.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 "Trump Names Alice Marie Johnson as the Nation's First 'Pardon Czar'".Capital B News.2026-02-28.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  20. ↑ "Trump gives clemency to more than 20 people, including political allies".The Hill.2026-05-29.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  21. ↑ "Todd and Julie Chrisley can thank their daughter Savannah Chrisley and advocate Alice Johnson for their pardons".CNN.2026-05-28.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  22. ↑ "Alice Johnson, Trump's pardon czar, seen by some as Black political 'token' amid controversial pardons".TheGrio.2026-05-29.Retrieved 2026-06-03.


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