Tina Peters was recommended for denial twice, unanimously, by Gov. Jared Polis’s Clemency Board before Gov. Jared Polis granted her clemency anyway. Two members of the board wrote that the governor overrode their recommendation, setting up a clear split between the board’s vote and the final decision.
“Tina Peters was recommended for denial. Our board voted no. Twice. Unanimously,” the two members wrote in the Opinion in The Denver Post. They added: “The governor granted her clemency anyway.”
Gov. Jared Polis’s Clemency Board
The Clemency Board reviews applications for clemency and makes recommendations about commutations, pardons or no action. In Peters’s case, the board voted no twice and did so unanimously, according to the opinion. The board has reviewed hundreds of clemency applications, and the process can take one to three years.
The opinion also says the state public defender’s office has described the process as “nearly impossible” for people without legal representation. That description adds weight to the board members’ complaint: the governor can still act even after the board reaches a unanimous denial.
Jared Polis and Tina Peters
The board members said the case shows how the final decision can diverge from the recommendation that comes before the governor’s desk. They also pointed to the governor’s limited use of the process, saying he has acted on only a fraction of the board’s clemency recommendations.
For Peters, the practical result is simple: the recommendation against her was not the end of the case. The opinion leaves one specific question hanging over the grant — what exact type of clemency Gov. Jared Polis gave her — but it makes clear that he approved relief after a unanimous rejection by his own Clemency Board.
