President Trump has granted clemency to Alice Marie Johnson a week after Kim Kardashian visited the White House to discuss prison reform and petition for her pardoning. Johnson is expected to be released from prison soon, CNN reports. This marks Trump's sixth act of clemency since taking office. 
 
 Kardashian tweeted her excitement over the news this afternoon. "BEST NEWS EVER!!!" she posted. 
 
 BEST NEWS EVER!!!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 https://t.co/JUbpbE1Bk0 — Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) June 6, 2018 
 
 Here's what you need to know Johnson's case: 
 
 Johnson was serving a life sentence. 
 
 The 63-year-old great-grandmother was given a life sentence in prison for a nonviolent drug-related crime and was not eligible for parole. 
 
 Johnson was convicted in 1996 on eight criminal counts stemming from a Memphis-based cocaine trafficking operation involving more than a dozen people. She was sentenced to life in prison in 1997. Today, she's spent more than two decades behind bars. 
 
 
 
 As one of Johnson's lawyers, Brittany Barnett, told The Daily Mail, "The message to the president is that Alice Johnson, the 21 years she has been in prison, represents a punishment that more than pays her debt to society and that to keep her prison the rest of her life is morally and economically unjustifiable." 
 
 I am honored to accompany @KimKardashian to The White House today to advocate on behalf of Alice Marie Johnson. Kim has spent her time, money & energy for this incredibly worthy cause. Please give credit where credit is due. — Shawn Holley (@theshawnholley) May 30, 2018 
 
 Johnson became "involved in drug trafficking" during a difficult period in her life. 
 
 Johnson became "involved in drug trafficking as a way to make ends meet following a particularly rough period in her life: She lost her job at FedEx, where she had worked for 10 years, due to a gambling addiction; she got divorced; and then her youngest son died in a motorcycle accident," Mic reports. 
 
 According to Johnson, this series of events led her become involved with drugs. As she told Mic: 
 
 "I felt like a failure... I went into a complete panic and out of desperation, I made one of the worst decisions of my life to make some quick money. I became involved in a drug conspiracy." 
 
 Memphis attorney Michael Scholl, who filed the latest court documents appealing for Johnson's sentence reduction, said she wasn't the leader of the cocaine operation. Instead, Bustle reports, "Johnson gradually became involved in a drug trafficking operation in Memphis, Tennessee. She says that she never brokered any deals or handled drugs, but was responsible for relaying coded messages over the phone." 
 
 The meeting with Trump, which was initially reported by @VanityFair, marks the culmination of months of @KimKardashian West's behind-the-scenes efforts to free #AliceMarieJohnson. pic.twitter.com/EyGwQ2vct1https://t.co/We2L0m6bFV — Mic (@mic) May 30, 2018 
 
 This was Johnson's first offense, but she was given a life sentence without the chance of parole. 
 
 Even though her arrest in 1993 was her first offense, Johnson received a life sentence, which she began serving in 1996. During the trial ten of her co-defendants testified against her in exchange for a reduced or dropped charges, Mic reports. Johnson, however, did not receive the same mercy, despite having not previous drug charges. 
 
 Johnson's children have long petitioned for her release. 
 
 Speaking in a video for Mic, Johnson's daughter, Tretessa, said of her mother, "She’s made some serious mistakes in her life, but she is not this monster. I mean, she’s really turned a very negative situation to as positive of a situation as she can." 
 
 Of Kardashian's involvement in the situation, Tretessa told BBC News, "We are praying for mercy in my mom's case… that this nightmare is finally coming to an end." 
 
 Johnson's family and supporters say she's a "model inmate" who's active in "many programmes including working at the prison hospice," BBC News reports. 
 
 Amy Povah, who founded the organization CAN-DO Clemency, started advocating for Johnson in 2014, and even collected a "letter of support from the retired warden of Johnson's prison" on her character, which will be given to Trump. 
 
 Povah told BBC News that Johnson has "always stood out to me as being exceptional. She's not bitter or angry, she's this ray of sunshine." 
 
 Johnson submitted an application for clemency to the Obama Administration on three occasions. 
 
 President Obama pardoned 231 individuals in December 2016, "many of whom had similar drug-related charges," Mic reports, but Johnson was not one of them. According to BBC News, Johnson "fit all of the criteria" for the former president's clemency project, but was rejected just days before Obama's term ended. The reason why is unclear. 
 
 Johnson told Mic, "When the criteria came out for clemency, I thought for sure—in fact, I was certain that I’d met and exceeded all of the criteria." 
 
 
 
 Kardashian has hired a new team of lawyers on behalf of Johnson. 
 
 Back in November, Kardashian's Los Angeles-based attorney, Shawn Holley, told New York Daily News, "Kim asked me several weeks ago how she could help Alice Johnson in her fight for justice. We then began corresponding with Alice and her team of lawyers." 
 
 Holley is a renowned celebrity attorney whose past clients include O.J. Simpson, Michael Jackson, and Lindsay Lohan, according to TMZ. 
 
 Kardashian visited the White House on Johnson's birthday. 
 
 The reality star made the announcement on Twitter just hours before meeting with President Trump in Washington. 
 
 Happy Birthday Alice Marie Johnson. Today is for you 🙏🏼✨ — Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) May 30, 2018 
 
 One of Johnson's lawyers, Brittany Barnett, told The Daily Mail, "Today's her birthday, so no greater gift than freedom on her birthday." 
 
 Kardashian met with Donald Trump regarding prison reform. 
 
 Kim had been speaking with Jared Kushner, the president's senior advisor and son-in-law, regarding Johnson's case for months. Kushner has been working on The Prison Reform and Redemption Act which aims to reduce the rate of recidivism, and prepare prisoners to reintegrate into society. 
 
 Hours after the reality star being spotted walking into the White House, POTUS tweeted a photo with her in the Oval Office. "Great meeting with @KimKardashian today, talked about prison reform and sentencing," he wrote. The president didn't clarify if he will grant clemency to Johnson as a result of his meeting with Kim. 
 
 Great meeting with @KimKardashian today, talked about prison reform and sentencing. pic.twitter.com/uOy4UJ41JF — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2018 
 
 Johnson is grateful that Kardashian is attempting to help her case. 
 
 Johnson publicly thanked Kardashian in a letter obtained by TMZ. She said: 
 
 "There are no words strong enough to express my deep and heartfelt gratitude. Ms. Kardashian, you are quite literally helping to save my life and restore me to my family. I was drowning and you have thrown me a life jacket, and given me hope that this life jacket I'm serving may one day be taken off." 
 
 Kardashian and her legal team hope that Johnson's case will start a wider conversation about prison reform. 
 
 Johnson's lawyer, Barnett, told CBS News, "We are grateful that Kim is using her platform to raise awareness and hope that everyone looks beyond Kim and sees that there is a woman about to die in prison." 
 
 Barnett added that Kardashian "was not only moved to tears, but moved to action" after she watched a Mic interview about Johnson. The KKW Beauty founder first tweeted about Johnson's case back in October 2017. 
 
 This is so unfair... https://t.co/W3lPINbQuy — Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) October 26, 2017 
 
 Associated Press contributed reporting. ||||| Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Kardashian arrives at the White House on an overcast afternoon 
 
 Kim Kardashian West has met President Donald Trump to discuss a potential pardon for a 63-year-old great-grandmother who is serving life in prison. 
 
 Alice Marie Johnson has been behind bars for more than two decades for a first-time drug offence. 
 
 Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner has also been speaking with Mrs Kardashian West about the case for months. 
 
 President Trump tweeted that they had a "great meeting". 
 
 Why is Kim Kardashian involved in the case? 
 
 Johnson's story first caught the reality television star's eye after she saw a short video about the case posted on social media. 
 
 Mrs Kardashian West was moved to ask her longtime personal lawyer, Shawn Holley, to take a look at the case and is paying for a new legal team for Johnson. 
 
 The reality television star was also able to join forces with Mr Kushner, a senior adviser to the president who has been pushing for federal prison reform. 
 
 Mr Kushner's First Step Act, which allots $50m (£38m) for rehabilitative programmes for inmates, passed in the US House of Representatives last week. 
 
 According to Johnson's daughters, the process has sped up considerably since Mrs Kardashian West's involvement. 
 
 Wednesday is also Johnson's birthday, which Mrs Kardashian West noted in a tweet this morning. 
 
 On the meeting with Mr Trump, Mrs Kardashian West said she was hopeful Johnson would get a "second chance at life". 
 
 Image copyright Courtsey CAN-Do Clemency Image caption Alice Marie Johnson 
 
 Who is Alice Marie Johnson? 
 
 Johnson was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1996 for a first-time, non-violent drug offence. She was convicted for her role, along with 15 others, in a large cocaine distribution ring in Tennessee. 
 
 According to her family and supporters, Johnson has been a model inmate who is active in many programmes, including work in the prison hospice. She fitted all of the criteria for former President Barack Obama's Clemency Project 2014, but was denied just days before the end of his term. 
 
 "This is the last time I'll put my family through the heartache of expectations," Johnson told the BBC at the time. 
 
 Despite that, Mrs Kardashian West's interest appears to have revitalised the effort. 
 
 Amy Povah, the founder of CAN-DO Clemency, has been advocating for Johnson's release since 2014 and says she has helped collect signatures from 70 organisations who support the pardon, as well as a letter of support from the retired warden of Johnson's prison. 
 
 All of that material may be submitted to President Trump. 
 
 "She's always stood out to me as being exceptional," says Ms Povah. "She's not bitter or angry, she's this ray of sunshine." 
 
 What happens next? 
 
 The pardon process is entirely up to the president's discretion, and it is unknown at this point whether he plans to announce a decision to coincide with Mrs Kardashian West's visit. 
 
 Johnson's daughters remain hopeful that - at least for their family - the long wait may soon be over. 
 
 "We are praying for mercy in my mom's case… that this nightmare is finally coming to an end," Tretessa Johnson told the BBC. 
 
 What has the reaction been? 
 
 Many on social media have been critical of Mrs Kardashian West's unlikely role as a prison reform advocate and say there are thousands of cases that deserve closer examination. 
 
 Some have questioned her credentials to speak on the subject, suggesting there are more qualified people who should have met Mr Trump. 
 
 But others have pointed to previous examples of celebrities meeting political leaders and accused Mrs Kardashian West's critics of displaying double standards. 
 
 There have also been accusations of sexism aimed at those who have derided the meeting. 
 
 "If this was Leonardo DiCaprio or George Clooney... nobody would bat an eyelid," one Twitter user wrote.
– Just one week after Kim Kardashian met with President Trump to argue the case of a great-grandmother sentenced to life in prison over a first-time drug conviction, the POTUS took action. He granted clemency to Alice Marie Johnson Wednesday, commuting the life sentence of the 63-year-old Tennessee woman who was found guilty of cocaine conspiracy and money laundering charges. She has been in federal prison for more than two decades, NPR reports, during which time supporters have argued for her release, pointing out the non-violent nature of her offense and the fact that she's been a model prisoner. "BEST NEWS EVER!!!!" Kardashian tweeted Wednesday alongside a link to the news. "So grateful to @realDonaldTrump, Jared Kushner & to everyone who has showed compassion & contributed countless hours to this important moment for Ms. Alice Marie Johnson. Her commutation is inspirational & gives hope to so many others who are also deserving of a second chance," she added. In a statement, the White House said Johnson "has accepted responsibility for her past behavior." "While this administration will always be very tough on crime, it believes that those who have paid their debt to society and worked hard to better themselves while in prison deserve a second chance," the statement says. Prior to Johnson, Trump had issued five pardons and one commutation; he's considering others.