Alice Marie Johnson – a name synonymous with criminal justice reform – just shattered glass ceilings again. On February 20, 2025, former President Donald Trump appointed the 69-year-old grandmother as America’s first-ever “pardon czar,” tasked with reviewing clemency petitions for federal prisoners. The historic announcement came during a Black History Month event at the White House, capping Johnson’s extraordinary transformation from life-sentenced prisoner to presidential advisor.
The Rise of a Reform Icon
Johnson’s appointment follows decades of activism after Trump commuted her life sentence in 2018 for nonviolent drug offenses. Convicted in 1996 as part of a Memphis cocaine trafficking operation, she served 21 years before Kardashian West’s advocacy sparked national attention. Prosecutors had labeled her a “quintessential entrepreneur” in moving thousands of kilos of cocaine – claims Johnson disputes, admitting only to relaying messages between dealers during a desperate financial crisis.
Since her release, Johnson became a leading voice for sentencing reform. She championed the 2018 First Step Act that reduced mandatory minimums and expanded early release programs, impacting over 4,000 prisoners. Her nonprofit “Taking Action For Good” has secured clemency for over 100 individuals while pushing to eliminate barriers for formerly incarcerated people.
Inside Her New White House Role
As pardon czar, Johnson will review applications and recommend candidates for presidential clemency – a position critics call unprecedented but supporters hail as practical. “No one understands flawed sentencing laws better than someone who lived through them,” said criminal justice advocate Marc Morjé Howard.
The role builds on Johnson’s existing influence: She previously advised Tennessee Governor Bill Lee on expungement policies and prison education programs. Her 2019 memoir After Life: My Journey From Incarceration to Freedom, featuring a foreword by Kim Kardashian West, remains a blueprint for rehabilitation advocates.
“I was given a death sentence without sitting on death row,” Johnson wrote in a 2023 Fox News op-ed. “Now I fight to ensure others get the second chance I did.”
Controversy and Road Ahead
While bipartisan lawmakers praise Johnson’s appointment, some question Trump’s motives given her vocal support during his 2024 campaign. Others note the irony of Trump – who once advocated executing drug dealers – empowering a figure advocating mercy.
Johnson remains undeterred: “This isn’t about politics,” she declared at the White House ceremony. “It’s about healing families and fixing a broken system.” With over 20,000 federal prisoners eligible for sentence reductions under First Step Act provisions she helped design, Johnson’s inbox will be full on Day One.
