Jason Sole’s Fight for Full Freedom Advances: Pardon Hearing Scheduled After Public Pressure, Concerns Remain

After decades of advocacy, a prominent voice in justice reform finally gets a date to plead his case. The news comes weeks after Jason publicly gave the state a Juneteenth deadline to act on his petition—a bold demand that resonated with many advocates, and shined a spotlight on what he and others have described as a broken and politically delayed clemency process.

Jason Sole, a former gang member turned acclaimed criminal justice professor, community leader, and activist, has been granted a long-overdue pardon hearing. The Minnesota Board of Pardons has scheduled his Clemency Review Commission (CRC) hearing for August 1, marking a critical moment in Jason's two-decade fight to be formally forgiven. He was convicted for possession of a firearm in 1997, second-degree possession of a controlled substance in 2000 and for possession of a controlled substance in 2005.

“I have made significant strides over the last 20 years and deserve to be pardoned,” Jason said in a campaign for his freedom. "I've served time, completed lengthy probation sentences, and have moved on with my life as much as possible. Now, it's time for the state to let me be free."

Since completing his sentences, Jason has earned a Ph.D., taught at multiple universities, led the Minneapolis NAACP, and helped establish violence interruption programs across the Twin Cities. Despite his accomplishments, his 2022 pardon request was denied without a hearing. "How much flesh do you need, fam?" Jason asked of the system. "I don't know what the metric is at this point."

Jason reapplied for clemency in October 2024 and heard nothing for five months. He got a response, only after reaching out to the CRC executive director, Carli Stark, himself. The response? Jason would have to keep waiting—so he advocated for himself.

"I'm saying pardon me by Juneteenth, that's my demand, or it's up." But now with a hearing scheduled, Jason told supporters, "It’s time to put the protest sign away ... the online petition will be taken down by the end of the week. On August 1st, I’ll sit before the Minnesota Clemency Review Commission with hopes of being pardoned."

Lack of Transparency

Jason's case was the subject of a recent article on Georgia Fort’s platform titled "The Politics of Pardons: How Minnesota’s Process is Failing the People It Was Meant to Serve." The piece highlights how the state’s requirement for unanimous approval from the three-member Board of Pardons has historically made it difficult for applicants—especially those from marginalized communities—to be granted clemency. It also covers the recent changes made to the Board and criticism stemming from the creation of the nine-person CRC in 2023.

Next steps

Jason's scheduled Clemency Review Commission hearing on August 1 is expected to draw significant public attention, particularly as it takes place a couple weeks after Juneteenth—a date that underscores both the promise of freedom and the persistence of systemic delay.

The Board of Pardons had scheduled meetings in May and June. Both meetings were cancelled last minute.

"The June 13 meeting was rescheduled to July 9 due to Governor Walz being called to testify before the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in Washington D.C.," said Carli Stark, Executive Director of the CRC. "By law, the Board of Pardons cannot meet without all members in attendance." She added that the rescheduling of the Board of Pardons meetings does not create a backlog at the CRC.

On July 9, the Board will hear applications from the November 2024, February 2025, and March 2025 CRC hearings, as well as requests for waivers of the initial waiting period.

The Board is only required by law to meet twice a year, but Carli said because the CRC is increasing access to clemency, the Board is planning to meet four times per year.

For many, Jason's August 1 hearing isn’t just a personal milestone, it’s a litmus test for Minnesota’s commitment to justice reform.

"If we truly want a society built on justice and equity, we should be clear about how people are redeemed," Jason said. "There are thousands of wrongfully convicted people in the world, including Minnesota, as well as people who have paid their debts several times over."

And that's why Jason is doing all of this.