President Barack Obama commuted the prison sentences of 209 federal inmates on Tuesday, including that of Chelsea Manning, the United States Army analyst who leaked documents in 2010 exposing American military and diplomatic activities around the world.
Now, with two days left in his presidency, Obama has the chance to close one of the more troubling chapters in the history of U.S. government-Native American relations: the saga of Leonard Peltier. By commuting Peltier’s two consecutive life sentences, the president will have the final word on a case that’s stained federal law enforcement for decades.