Pritzker Grants 20 New Year's Eve Clemency Petitions

CHICAGO (AP) -- Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has granted 20 petitions for clemency hours ahead of the New Year.

A list released by the Illinois Prisoner Review Board Tuesday shows the cases date as far back as 1975 for crimes including battery, drug possession, attempted burglary and theft.

People whose clemency petitions are granted may go to court to try to have their criminal records expunged.

All have undergone a recent criminal background check through an Illinois law enforcement data system. Earlier Tuesday, Pritzker announced more than 11,000 pardons for low-level marijuana convictions under Illinois' new marijuana legalization law.

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