TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday pardoned 33 people and commuted the sentences of three women, one of whom was supported by Kim Kardashian.
Murphy's first use of his clemency authority comes after he set up a special review board in June aimed at bringing cases deserving of a pardon or commutation for review. There will be additional grants of mercy, the governor said.
Murphy said he wants New Jersey to become known for righting past injustices during an at times emotional ceremony, where at least one of the people pardoned was present in the room. Also in attendance were two adult children of a woman whose murder sentence was commuted.
“We rededicate ourselves to ensuring that New Jersey is the state for second chances,” he said.
An emotional highpoint came as Murphy discussed Dawn Jackson, whose case Kardashian championed. Jackson's daughter was tearful as Murphy spoke, saying Jackson had gotten a GED diploma and an associate's degree in prison, where she's been serving a 30-year sentence since 1999 on a murder conviction.
Murphy said that in the three cases of commuting the women's sentences, including Jackson's, domestic violence was a factor that didn't play a mitigating role at the time of the convictions.
“I think we're a much more — thank God I might add — survivor-centric society,” he said.
Loreale Wilson, Jackson's daughter, said the experience gave her a sense of perseverance.
“What this means for me, I can’t begin to put into words, but that I am completely speechless, overwhelmed with joy, and can’t wait to experience all that God has for us,” she said.
Kardashian, who has used her celebrity to put a spotlight on criminal justice reform, said in a statement that Murphy chose “redemption over condemnation.”
"Dawn’s second chance and impending freedom shows us what’s possible when we focus on supporting survivors, prioritizing safety, and committing to real justice," Kardashian said.
Abdur Azim stood alongside Murphy, smiling, as Murphy signed his pardon. He told the governor that getting the pardon was like having “a knife pulled out from my heart.” Azim had shoplifting, drug possession and robbery convictions going back to 1986. He currently works in the Department of Corrections, the governor said.
Along with Azim, Murphy pardoned 32 others who had a range of convictions, including for shoplifting, making threats and possessing drugs. Murphy said the clemency board he set up determined that each of them had “accepted responsibility for their actions” and were setting a positive example for others in their community.
Murphy's second term ends in January 2026. He's barred by term limits from seeking a third term in next year's gubernatorial contest.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signs a pardon for Abdur Azam, left, on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, at his statehouse office in Trenton. (AP photo/Mike Catalini)
TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced the biggest test of his political career after Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, long one of his most powerful and loyal ministers, resigned from the Cabinet on Monday.
The stunning move raised questions about how much longer the prime minister of nearly 10 years — whose popularity has plummeted due to concerns about inflation and immigration — can stay on as his administration scrambles to deal with incoming U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
Trudeau swiftly named longtime ally and friend Dominic LeBlanc, previously the pubic safety minister who recently joined the prime minister at dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, to replace Freeland.
After being sworn in, LeBlanc told reporters he and Trudeau are focused on the cost of living facing Canadians and on finding common ground with Trump on border security and economic issues.
“I’m very confident that we can continue to do the necessary work,” LeBlanc said.
Earlier, opposition leader Jagmeet Singh, whose party Trudeau's ruling Liberals have relied upon to stay in power, called on Trudeau to resign. The main opposition Conservatives demanded an election.
Freeland, who was also deputy prime minister, said Trudeau had told her on Friday he no longer wanted her to serve as finance minister and offered her another role in the Cabinet. But she said in her resignation letter that the only “honest and viable path” was to leave the Cabinet.
“For the past number of weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada,” Freeland said.
Freeland and Trudeau disagreed about a two-month sales tax holiday and 250 Canadian dollar ($175) checks to Canadians that were recently announced. Freeland said Canada is dealing with Trump's threat to impose sweeping 25% tariffs and should eschew “costly political gimmicks" it can “ill afford.”
“Our country is facing a grave challenge,” Freeland said in the letter. “That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war.”
A Liberal party official said Freeland was offered a position as minister in charge of Canada-U.S. relations without portfolio and without a department. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said the position would have been in name only and wouldn't have come with any of the tools Freeland previously had when she negotiated trade with the United States.
Freeland, who chaired a Cabinet committee on U.S. relations, had been set to deliver the fall economic statement and likely announce border security measures designed to help Canada avoid Trump's tariffs. Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico unless they stem the numbers of migrants and drugs.
The statement shows a much larger deficit than expected for the fiscal year and more than a billion for border security
Trudeau has said he plans on leading the Liberal Party into the next election, but some party members have said they don't want him to run for a fourth term, and Freeland's departure was a huge blow.
No Canadian prime minister in more than a century has won four straight terms.
The federal election has to be held before October. The Liberals must rely on the support of at least one other major party in Parliament, because they don’t hold an outright majority themselves. If the opposition New Democratic Party, or NDP, pulls support, an election can be held at any time.
“I’m calling on Justin Trudeau to resign. He has to go,” NDP leader Singh said.
Trudeau’s Liberal party needs NDP's support to stay in power and though Singh said all options are on the table.
“Mr. Trudeau’s government is over,” Opposition Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-François Blanchet said. “He must acknowledge that and act accordingly. The departure of his most important ally, his finance minister, is the end of this government.”
Trudeau channeled the star power of his father, late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, in 2015, when he reasserted the country’s liberal identity after almost a decade of Conservative Party rule.
But Canadians are now frustrated by the rising cost of living and other issues, including immigration increases following the country’s emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As a country we have to project strength,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said. “It’s chaos right now up in Ottawa.”
Justin Trudeau’s legacy includes opening the doors wide to immigration. He also legalized cannabis and brought in a carbon tax intended to fight climate change.
Freeland said in the resignation letter that Canadians “know when we are working for them, and they equally know when we are focused on ourselves. Inevitably, our time in government will come to an end."
Separately, Trudeau has been trying to recruit Mark Carney, the former head of the Bank of England and Bank of Canada, to join his government. Carney has long been interested in entering politics and becoming the leader of the Liberal Party. It wasn't immediately clear if Carney has agreed to join Trudeau's Cabinet.
“Freeland was not only finance minister but also deputy prime minister and, until a couple of years ago, was seen as Trudeau’s heir as Liberal leader and prime minister,” said Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto.
Wiseman said leaks from the prime minister’s office suggest that Freeland was a poor communicator.
“There was talk about her becoming foreign minister again and that would have been a good fit for her, but the stab in the back from the prime minister's office cast the die,” Wiseman said.
Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, also called it a political earthquake.
“This is clearly a minority government on life support but, until now, the (opposition) NDP has rejected calls to pull the plug on it. It’s hard to know whether this resignation will force the NDP to rethink its strategy.”
Dominic LeBlanc, Canada's Minister of Finance, Public Safety and Intergovernmental Affairs, participates in a news conference after a swearing in ceremony at Rideau Hall, in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, looks on as Dominic LeBlanc, center, is sworn in as finance minister by Clerk of the Privy Council John Hannaford, right, during a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
Dominic LeBlanc, front left, is sworn in as finance minister by Clerk of the Privy Council John Hannaford, right, during a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, congratulates Dominic LeBlanc, left, after LeBlanc was sworn in as finance minister at a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, right, and Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc arrive for a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press via AP)
Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland delivers remarks on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press via AP)
Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland delivers remarks on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press via AP)
