- Details
- By Levi Rickert
Opinion. When President Joe Biden commuted the sentence of Leonard Peltier (Turtle Mountain Chippewa) on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, he answered decades of prayers from Indian Country.
Dr. King stood for justice. In a 1965 speech in Selma, Alabama, Dr. King so eloquently said “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
President Biden’s action on Jan. 20, 2025 — also his last day in office as president — bent the arc of justice towards Peltier. While the presidential action was not the pardon that many wanted for Peltier, the commutation came on Peltier’s 17,532nd day of incarceration.
Peltier had been serving two consecutive life sentences for his alleged involvement in the deaths of two FBI agents during a 1975 shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Peltier has consistently maintained his innocence, and his case was fraught with controversy, including allegations of withheld ballistics evidence, coerced FBI testimony that was later recanted, and violations of his Sixth Amendment right to an impartial jury.
In announcing the commutation, Biden cited Peltier's advanced age, deteriorating health, and widespread support for his release from tribal nations, Nobel Peace laureates, former law enforcement officials, and human rights organizations, according to the White House statement.
"This commutation will enable Mr. Peltier to spend his remaining days in home confinement but will not pardon him for his underlying crimes," the statement said.
Peltier suffers from serious health issues, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and a heart condition. His mobility requires the use of a walker or wheelchair.
Biden’s action allows Peltier to return home. Through the years, Peltier expressed his desire to return to the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation where he was raised by his paternal grandparents.
In a conversation years ago with the late Dennis Banks (Ojibwe), co-founder of the American Indian Movement (AIM), Banks told me Peltier was an innocent man. He described efforts he and other AIM leaders made through the years to have Peltier freed. Back then, Banks told me his faith – or lack thereof – in the federal government led him to believe Leonard will never be released.
Native American leaders and allies have called for Peltier’s release for almost five decades. Many advocates, both Native Americans and non-Natives, spent years defending him in editorials, freedom marches, rock and reggae songs, and documentary films. Key figures in securing Peltier’s release included attorney Kevin Sharp, NDN Collective CEO Nick Tilsen (Oglala Sioux Tribe), and Holly Macarro (Red Lake Nation), NDN Collective’s government affairs officer.
A crucial moment came in October 2024 when several Native American leaders traveled on Air Force One with Biden during his trip to Phoenix, where he issued an official government apology for its role in the federal Indian boarding school system.
During that flight, National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) President Mark Macarro, chairman of the Pechanga Band of Indians, asked Biden to grant clemency to Peltier.
“Mr. President, we are flying to Phoenix where you will apologize on behalf of the government for its role in Indian boarding schools,” Macarro told the president. “You need to know that there is an 80-year-old named Leonard Peltier, one of the oldest surviving Indian boarding school survivors, who is in prison. He attended the Wahpeton Indian School in North Dakota.”
According to Macarro, the president seemed unaware of this information. “It was new information for him,” Macarro said. “I then told him that Peltier has served five decades in federal prison for a crime that the government has admitted it could not prove.”
For Native Americans, Leonard Peltier has been an iconic symbol of oppression, with his imprisonment emblematic of broader systemic injustices faced by Native Americans. Biden’s clemency decision demonstrates a commitment to justice and reconciliation, aligning with broader efforts to address historical wrongs against Indigenous peoples.
Given that it was his last day in office, the timing of Biden's commutation on MLK Jr. Day may have been totally coincidental, but it was also entirely consequential. With the stroke of a pen, Biden bent the arc of justice toward Leonard Peltier, fulfilling Dr. King's vision of justice delayed, but not denied.
Thayék gde nwéndëmen - We are all related.
More Stories Like This
Tribes Are Not Minority-Owned Businesses: The Case for SBA 8(a) ExemptionsThe Biopiracy of Tobacco
Cheorkee Nation Principal Chief: Why We Are Investing the Trust Settlement into Our Justice System
The Colonial & Paternalistic Practice of Imposing Blood Quantum
Can we take a minute to talk about tribal sovereignty?
Our mission draws from the warrior spirit that has sustained Indigenous peoples for generations — the same spirit that drives us to stand guard over tribal rights through relentless investigation and fearless reporting.
Sovereignty isn't just a concept – it's the foundation of Native nations' right to govern, protect our lands, and preserve our cultures. Every story we publish strengthens tribal sovereignty.
Unlike mainstream media, we center Indigenous voices and report directly from Native communities. When we cover land rights, water protection, or tribal governance, we're not just sharing news – we're documenting our living history and defending our future.
Our journalism is powered by readers, not shareholders. If you believe in the importance of Native-led media in protecting tribal sovereignty, consider supporting our work today.
