FreedomWorks recently announced the launch of the American Freedom Initiative (AFI), a collaboration headed by former acting U.S. Attorney General Matt Whitaker. This project aims to help relieve injustices committed against Americans under the criminal justice system and the regulatory state. As part of this project, we will shine a spotlight on some of the individuals the AFI has identified under its National Pardon Project as being particularly hard hit by unjustly harsh criminal sentences for non-violent crimes.

The punishment should fit the crime. A simple maxim that is no longer always followed in this country. For too long many nonviolent criminals have had sentences imposed on them from Washington, overriding the presiding judge's assessment of the facts. When punishments are mandated from afar, the punishment will not always fit the crime. It is time to get big government out of the courtroom and restore the judiciary's role as outlined in the Constitution.

Years ago, Illinois decided that smoking was bad for its citizens and put a cigarette tax into place thinking they'd do two things: one, break the people who live there of a nasty filthy habit that was shortening their lives and keeping the Democratic politicians who cared about their fragile health up at night, and two, raise a little cash for a state that is so far in debt California won't be seen in public with it anymore.