The Pending Pardon Application Problem

In a previous post (here), I noted:

While the number of pardons and commutations that are being granted clearly reflects a ninety year trend, the pattern of applications and cases pending from one fiscal year to the next appears to be a function of a cause (or a set of causes) much more recent. The high levels of requests are not unprecedented (see the same data over the last 147 years here), but the exponential increase in pending applications appears more unique (see data for pending applications over the last 107 years here).

In her commentary on these data (here), former U.S. Pardon Attorney, Margaret Colgate Love made this recommendation:

Note that the increase is primarily in commutations - you have to disaggregate to get a correct picture since the pardon applications did not increase appreciably.

I have taken this tip and disaggregated the data for readers here.