Pardons Reflect A Disturbing Trend

The power to pardon is one of the ultimate Constitutional powers bestowed on the Executive. Here in an investigative piece of journalism co-published by the Washington Post and Pro Publica, it is disturbing to see that even with an office within the department of Justice dedicated to sifting through all of those applications and making objective recommendations directly to the President, certain characteristics tend to draw the eye of this office and ultimately the mercy of the President. This article uses data from 500 of the cases considered during the George W. Bush administration and it also places the investigation into historical context.