section_path: Post-conviction/Calls for commutation
section_name: Calls for commutation
paragraph_text: Calls for commutation
  
  Ulbricht's conviction became a cause célèbre in American libertarian circles. After Ross's arrest, his mother, Lyn Ulbricht, initiated a campaign for a sentence review and early release. The "Free Ross" movement quickly spread through social media, merchandise, and a petition with over 600,000 signatures. Over the years, the campaign found support from libertarian politicians, prison reform advocates, and members of the cryptocurrency community, who view Ulbricht as a Bitcoin pioneer who helped spread Bitcoin use through his website. In May 2022, the Libertarian Republican Congressman Thomas Massie called for a commutation of Ulbricht's conviction. The libertarian-oriented Reason Foundation attempted to raise funds, citing Ulbricht's case, without taking any legal action, and 2020 Libertarian Party presidential candidate Jo Jorgensen made a campaign pledge to pardon Ulbricht.
  
  In May 2024, candidate Donald Trump said that if re-elected President, he would commute Ulbricht's sentence on his first day in office. Wired magazine, reporting from a 2024 Bitcoin conference in Nashville, said that clemency for Ulbricht had become a single-issue voting concern among many cryptocurrency supporters. In the November 2024 issue of Reason magazine, the 2024 Libertarian nominee for president, Chase Oliver, said, "I would like to see, if he were elected, commute Ross Ulbricht's sentence. Frankly, if I were president, I would give him a full pardon."
  
  Ulbricht's conviction became a cause célèbre in American libertarian circles. After Ross's arrest, his mother, Lyn Ulbricht, initiated a campaign for a sentence review and early release. The "Free Ross" movement quickly spread through social media, merchandise, and a petition with over 600,000 signatures. Over the years, the campaign found support from libertarian politicians, prison reform advocates, and members of the cryptocurrency community, who view Ulbricht as a Bitcoin pioneer who helped spread Bitcoin use through his website. In May 2022, the Libertarian Republican Congressman Thomas Massie called for a commutation of Ulbricht's conviction. The libertarian-oriented Reason Foundation attempted to raise funds, citing Ulbricht's case, without taking any legal action, and 2020 Libertarian Party presidential candidate Jo Jorgensen made a campaign pledge to pardon Ulbricht.
  
  In May 2024, candidate Donald Trump said that if re-elected President, he would commute Ulbricht's sentence on his first day in office. Wired magazine, reporting from a 2024 Bitcoin conference in Nashville, said that clemency for Ulbricht had become a single-issue voting concern among many cryptocurrency supporters. In the November 2024 issue of Reason magazine, the 2024 Libertarian nominee for president, Chase Oliver, said, "I would like to see, if he were elected, commute Ross Ulbricht's sentence. Frankly, if I were president, I would give him a full pardon."