Colorado Governor Removes Two Clemency Board Members After They Publicly Criticized Tina Peters Release

Governor Jared Polis terminated two members of Colorado’s clemency board on Wednesday, saying they violated confidentiality rules by publicly revealing how the board voted on a clemency application. The board had voted unanimously, behind closed doors, to reject former election official Tina Peters’ request for early release, but Polis overrode the recommendation and reduced her sentence in May.

Azra Taslimi and Hannah Seigel Proff, who spoke to the media about the board’s deliberations, said they were dismissed after their comments appeared in a June New York Times article. In letters obtained by reporters, Polis wrote that the members “breached the required duty of confidentiality by publicly divulging Board members’ votes.”

“Publicly disclosing board recommendations and how members vote on any case threatens the credibility of the board, colors future deliberations by the board and breaks clearly stated confidentiality policy articulated in the Executive Order which establishes this board,” a spokesperson for the governor said.

Taslimi said the governor’s action reflected political pressure surrounding Peters, describing the outcome as “selective mercy.” Proff, a board member for nearly eight years, expressed concern that the dismissals could reduce transparency and discourage future board members from speaking out.

Polis justified the commutation by referencing a Colorado appeals court ruling that found the trial judge had infringed Peters’ First Amendment rights. In a Substack post, he wrote that the decision was “straightforward” after reviewing the court’s findings and concluding that her sentence was excessive.