The worst abuses of the pardon power generally occur in the "lame duck" period between the election and the change of officeholders. Hans Bader has this commentary at CNS News. "In his last days in office, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin pardoned some of Kentucky's worst murderers. Among those he released from prison was a convicted killer whose brother was a big campaign donor."
Personally, I think that executives should only be allowed to reprieve, not commute, during the period from a week before the election until they leave office. A president or governor should take the heat (or at least have his party take the heat if he is not running again) if he misuses the power.
Leave a comment