SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  -- While facing his own legal cloud, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich decided to pardon 22 other people.

The Democratic governor rarely acted on pardon applications during his six years in office. The backlog of requests at one point topped 1,600.

But Blagojevich has acted more often in recent months.

His office says he issued 22 pardons Friday, the same day Blagojevich vowed to fight the federal corruption charges he faces.

Aides wouldn't provide any information about why he granted the pardons or what crimes the people were accused of committing.

One person on the list shares the name of a man who was cleared by DNA evidence after serving three years for rape.

The pardon's included: 

Jackie Wayne Collins
Constance Glass
Michael Gordon
Sylvia Johnson
Donald Kendall
John Kidwell
Bret Lefever
Juan Linval
Latasha Lofton
Marcus Lyons
Alex May
Donald Mitchell
James Moreland
Joel Naskiewicz
Jeffrey Nussbaum
Larry Pierson
Katrina Raickett
Shanyta Russell
Edward Lee Smith
Robert Eugene Smith
Michael Tabler
Lora Thomas