Wisconsin board weighs first commutations in decades

Eleven requests before the board

The Governor’s Commutation Advisory Board considered requests from 11 Wisconsin prisoners seeking shorter sentences at an Oct. 23 hearing. Eight of the applicants were convicted of homicide.

The hearing was the board’s third review of a group of commutation applications. Prisoners presented their cases, while relatives of some victims spoke against early release.

The board will send nonbinding recommendations to Evers. The Wisconsin Constitution gives the governor authority to grant commutations, meaning Evers will decide each request. He has not granted a commutation, and the last Wisconsin governor to do so was former Gov. Tommy Thompson.

Commutations and pardons

Evers restarted Wisconsin’s commutation process in April 2026 after reviving the state pardon process in 2019. The two actions apply at different points in a person’s case.

A commutation reduces a sentence that a person is currently serving. A pardon comes after a person has completed a sentence, including prison and supervision. Under Evers’ requirements, pardon applicants must also have been off supervision for at least five years.

Evers had issued more than 2,443 pardons as of the Oct. 23 hearing.

One applicant’s case

James Foote is serving a 40-year sentence and has completed 25 years. He was convicted in connection with severe injuries to Timothy Quinlan, who later died.

In a 2025 podcast, Foote denied swinging or striking anyone with a table leg. During the 2026 board hearing, he said he had swung a table leg in self-defense and described that decision as horrible. He also acknowledged Quinlan’s death and the effects of the incident on multiple lives.