Editing Leonard Peltier (section)

=== Clemency denial and commutation===
In 1999, Peltier filed a ''[[habeas corpus]]'' petition, but it was rejected by the 10th Circuit Court on November 4, 2003.<ref>Meister, Mark, and Ann Burnett. "Rhetorical Exclusion in the Trial of Leonard Peltier." ''American Indian Quarterly'' 28.3/4 (2004): 719–42. ''ProQuest Central, Research Library.'' Web.</ref> Near the end of the [[Clinton administration]] in 2001, rumors began circulating that [[Bill Clinton]] was considering granting Peltier [[clemency]]. Opponents of Peltier campaigned against his possible clemency; about 500 FBI agents and families protested outside the [[White House]], and FBI director [[Louis Freeh]] sent a letter opposing Peltier's clemency to the White House. Clinton did not grant Peltier clemency. In 2002, Peltier filed a [[civil rights]] lawsuit in the [[U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia]] against the FBI, Louis Freeh and FBI agents who had participated in the campaign against his clemency petition, alleging that they "engaged in a systematic and officially sanctioned campaign of misinformation and disinformation." On March 22, 2004, the suit was dismissed.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 22, 2004 |title=US District Court, Peltier v. Freeh, et al. |url=http://www.noparolepeltier.com/Order-3-22-04.pdf |publisher=Noparolepeltier.com |access-date=July 29, 2005 |archive-date=May 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522163851/http://www.noparolepeltier.com/Order-3-22-04.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> In January 2009, President [[George W. Bush]] denied Peltier's clemency petition before leaving office.<ref>{{cite web |title=Clinton refuses to pardon Leonard Peltier – World Socialist Web Site |url=http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/jan2001/pelt-j25.shtml |access-date=November 27, 2016 |website=Wsws.org |date=January 25, 2001}}</ref><ref>[http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/01/27/Bush-denies-bevy-of-pardons-commutations/UPI-52591233105751/ "Bush denies bevy of pardons, commutations"]. [[United Press International|UPI.com]], January 27, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2009.</ref>

In 2016, Peltier's attorneys filed a clemency application with the White House's [[Office of the Pardon Attorney]], and his supporters organized a campaign to convince President [[Barack Obama]] to commute Peltier's sentence, a campaign which included an appeal by [[Pope Francis]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Otis |first=Ginger Adams |title=President Obama won't commute Native American activist who killed FBI agents despite plea from Pope Francis |work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York |date=January 18, 2017 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/obama-won-commute-native-american-activist-leonard-peltier-article-1.2949762 |access-date=May 30, 2018}}</ref> as well as James H. Reynolds, a senior attorney and former US Attorney who supervised the prosecution against Peltier in the appeal period following his initial trial. In a letter to the [[United States Department of Justice]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Ex-U.S. Attorney backs Leonard Peltier's bid for clemency |website=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York |date=January 3, 2017 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ex-u-s-attorney-backs-leonard-peltier-bid-clemency-article-1.2933475 |access-date=March 27, 2018}}</ref> Reynolds wrote that clemency was "in the best interest of justice in considering the totality of all matters involved". In a subsequent letter to the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', Reynolds added that the case against Peltier "was a very thin case that likely would not be upheld by courts today. It is a gross overstatement to label Peltier a 'cold-blooded murderer' on the basis of the minimal proof that survived the appeals in his case."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Reynolds |first1=James |date=January 17, 2017 |title=Leonard Peltier should be released in the interest of justice |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/ct-leonard-peltier-should-be-released-in-the-interest-of-justice-20170117-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201005042/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/ct-leonard-peltier-should-be-released-in-the-interest-of-justice-20170117-story.html |archive-date=2018-12-01 |access-date= |website=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref> On January 18, 2017, two days before President Obama left office, the Office of the Pardon Attorney announced that Obama had denied Peltier's application for clemency.<ref name="obama" /> On June 8, 2018, KFGO Radio in Fargo, N.D., reported that Peltier filed a formal clemency request with President Trump. KFGO obtained and published a letter that was sent by Peltier's attorney to the White House.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Monk |first=Jim |date=June 8, 2018 |title=Supporters formally ask Trump to pardon Leonard Peltier |language=en-US |publisher=KFGO |url=http://kfgo.com/news/articles/2018/jun/08/supporters-formally-ask-trump-to-pardon-leonard-peltier/ |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-date=June 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613234409/http://kfgo.com/news/articles/2018/jun/08/supporters-formally-ask-trump-to-pardon-leonard-peltier/ |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hyatt |first=Kim |date=June 25, 2018 |title=Leonard Peltier's family rests clemency hopes on Trump, but North Dakota policymakers oppose pardon |language=en-US |work=St. Paul Pioneer Press |url=https://www.twincities.com/2018/06/25/leonard-peltiers-family-rests-clemency-hopes-on-trump-but-north-dakota-policymakers-oppose-pardon/ |access-date=June 26, 2018}}</ref>  On July 9, 2021, Reynolds wrote a letter to President Biden in which he stated:  “I have realized that the prosecution and  continued incarceration of Mr. Peltier was and is unjust.  We were not able to prove that Mr. Peltier personally committed any offense on the Pine Ridge Reservation."

On February 6, 2023, Leonard Peltier again made a plea for clemency.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lakhani |first=Nina |date=February 6, 2023 |title=Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier in plea for clemency after 47 years in jail |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/06/leonard-peltier-interview-prison-48-years |access-date=February 25, 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

On June 10, 2024, Peltier had his first parole hearing since 2009.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/leonard-peltier-what-is-parole-hearing-46091ed791ae39e98c79d4e1c4828bb8 |title=What to know about Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier's first hearing in more than a decade |first1=Heather |last1=Hollingsworth |first2=Jack |last2=Dura |work=Associated Press News |date=June 10, 2024 |access-date=July 1, 2024}}</ref> Ahead of the hearing, his lawyer Kevin Sharp described the hearing as "probably" his "last chance" to make a case for parole.<ref name="paroledenied" />  On July 2, 2024, he was denied parole.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/leonard-peltier-parole-hearing-2d0df4e4997d988ec229b05de9dba648 |title=Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier denied parole for 1975 killings of 2 FBI agents serving warrants |first=Heather |last=Hollingsworth |work=Associated Press News |date=July 2, 2024 |access-date=July 2, 2024}}</ref> An interim hearing to discuss parole was set in 2026, while another full hearing was set for 2039, according to Sharp.<ref name=paroledenied>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/leonard-peltier-native-american-activist-imprisoned-almost-50-years-de-rcna156877 |title=Leonard Peltier, Native American activist imprisoned for almost 50 years, denied parole request |first=Erik |last=Ortiz |publisher=NBC News |date=July 2, 2024 |access-date=July 2, 2024}}</ref> From 2014 until 2025, Peltier was housed at [[United States Penitentiary, Coleman|Coleman I]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140129192714/http://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 29, 2014 |title=Inmate Locator |date=January 29, 2014 |access-date=March 27, 2018}}</ref> the high-security penitentiary wing of the [[Coleman Federal Correctional Complex]] in Coleman, Florida.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-20 |title=Biden commutes life sentence of Leonard Peltier, in last moments in office |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/biden-commutes-sentence-for-indigenous-activist-leonard-peltier-convicted-in-killing-of-fbi-agents/ |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=The Seattle Times |language=en-US |quote=Bureau of Prisons spokesperson… said Peltier remained incarcerated Monday at USP Coleman, a high-security prison in Florida. Peltier’s lawyer said his release date was tentatively set for Feb. 18.}}</ref>