# Minnesota Board of Pardons *Pardon board of the state of Minnesota* The Minnesota Board of Pardons is the body through which the state of [[Minnesota]] exercises executive clemency. It has three members: the [[Governor of Minnesota]], the chief justice of the [[Minnesota Supreme Court]], and the [[Minnesota Attorney General]].[^1][^2] Acting together, they may pardon or reprieve anyone convicted of an offense under state law, or commute that person's sentence, within limits set by regulation.[^1] Wikipedia places Minnesota among nine states in which a board alone grants all state pardons.[^1] By law the board meets at least twice a year. It must also report each year to the [[Minnesota Legislature]] on the applications it received and granted.[^1] The only action of the board documented in this article's sources is its vote of June 12, 2020. On that date the three members unanimously granted Minnesota's first posthumous pardon, to [[Max Mason]], in the case tied to the 1920 Duluth lynchings.[^2] ## Composition and powers The board brings together three statewide offices: the governor, the attorney general and the chief justice.[^1][^2] Its authority covers pardons, reprieves and commutations of sentence. It extends to any person convicted of any offense against Minnesota law, subject to regulation.[^1] ## Meetings and reporting The law requires the board to meet at least twice in each year. It must also convene whenever it takes formal action on an application for a pardon or a commutation, and the public may attend every meeting.[^1] By February 15 of each year, the board must give the Legislature a written report on the previous calendar year.[^1] The report must count the applications received for pardons, pardons extraordinary and commutations of sentence, and the number granted in each category. It must also list the offenses behind the granted applications, the year of each conviction, and each offender's age when the offense occurred.[^1] The sources for this article do not include the statute's text or any of the board's annual reports. The figures in those reports are therefore not stated here. ## Comparable state boards Wikipedia counts eight other states with a comparable board.[^1] They are Alabama (Board of Pardons and Paroles), Connecticut (Board of Pardons and Paroles), Georgia (Board of Pardons and Paroles), Idaho (Commission of Pardons and Paroles), Nebraska (Board of Pardons), Nevada (Board of Pardon Commissioners), South Carolina (Board of Probation, Parole and Pardon) and Utah (Utah Board of Pardons and Parole).[^1] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - The board's members are the Governor, the Attorney General and the Chief Justice.[^2] ### What - The board voted unanimously to grant Minnesota's first posthumous pardon.[^2] ### When - The vote took place on June 12, 2020.[^2] ### Why - The pardon cleared Max Mason in the case tied to the 1920 Duluth lynchings. The source compilation characterizes it as "an evidentiary reversal."[^2] ### How many - The vote was unanimous among the board's three members.[^2] ## See also - [[Clayton-Jackson-McGhie Memorial]] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Minnesota Board of Pardons* (revision 1220868951, retrieved 2026-10-26) — the board's membership, clemency powers, meeting requirement, annual reporting duty to the Legislature, and list of comparable state boards. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Board_of_Pardons [^2]: *The Instrument No One Will Name* (densified, 2026-06-18), item [56], validated passage — the board's membership and its unanimous June 12, 2020 vote granting Minnesota's first posthumous pardon to Max Mason in the case tied to the 1920 Duluth lynchings. The passage names a Minnesota Attorney General release of 2020-06-12 as its primary source. That release is not among this pack's allowed URLs and is not cited here.