3 ms·
Pardons by the executive branch are a weapon of peace. It exists to allow the chief executive, whether the President or a Governor of a State, to settle any mat
by koolba 6y ago
Pardons by the executive branch are a weapon of peace. It exists to allow the chief executive, whether the President or a Governor of a State, to settle any matter in their jurisdiction.
At the Presidential level, the power is absolute because the founders believed in the executive branch being centralized in a single individual, the President. Outside of Senate confirmation, there isn't much that limits the powers of the President and it's like that on purpose. The people get to have their say every four years.
- fumblebee 6y agoCourts check presidential power all the time. A blatant abuse of the authority to pardon should be met with swift checks to limit that power.
- koheripbal 6y agoExactly - it's notable that the power of pardon is the tail end of the clause that give the president power over the military - that's not random phrasing. > The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment. https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-2/section-2/clause-1/ https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-2/section-2...