Book contents
- Pardons
- Pardons
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures and Table
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 Pardons and Kingship in Britain, 1066–1788
- 2 Pardons in the British North American Colonies, 1607–1775
- 3 Pardons in America in the Revolutionary Period, 1775–1787
- 4 The Founders’ Pardon Power
- 5 Presidential Pardons from George Washington to James Buchanan, 1789–1861
- 6 Pardons and Amnesties during the Civil War
- 7 Pardons and Amnesties during Reconstruction, Part 1
- 8 Pardons and Amnesties during Reconstruction, Part 2
- 9 Pardons from the End of Reconstruction to the Eve of World War I
- 10 Pardons in the Era of the Administrative State and Global War
- 11 The Pardon Process Begins to Wither
- 12 Reagan to Obama (1981–2017)
- 13 Pardons as Tools of Political Warfare
- 14 The Pardons of Joe Biden and Trump’s Second Term
- 15 The Law of Pardons
- 16 The Law of Pardons
- 17 The Law of Pardons
- 18 Executive Discretion and the Rule of Law
- 19 The Constitution Should Be Amended to Abolish or Modify the Presidential Pardon Power
- Notes
- Index
14 - The Pardons of Joe Biden and Trump’s Second Term
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 October 2026
Book contents
- Pardons
- Pardons
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures and Table
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 Pardons and Kingship in Britain, 1066–1788
- 2 Pardons in the British North American Colonies, 1607–1775
- 3 Pardons in America in the Revolutionary Period, 1775–1787
- 4 The Founders’ Pardon Power
- 5 Presidential Pardons from George Washington to James Buchanan, 1789–1861
- 6 Pardons and Amnesties during the Civil War
- 7 Pardons and Amnesties during Reconstruction, Part 1
- 8 Pardons and Amnesties during Reconstruction, Part 2
- 9 Pardons from the End of Reconstruction to the Eve of World War I
- 10 Pardons in the Era of the Administrative State and Global War
- 11 The Pardon Process Begins to Wither
- 12 Reagan to Obama (1981–2017)
- 13 Pardons as Tools of Political Warfare
- 14 The Pardons of Joe Biden and Trump’s Second Term
- 15 The Law of Pardons
- 16 The Law of Pardons
- 17 The Law of Pardons
- 18 Executive Discretion and the Rule of Law
- 19 The Constitution Should Be Amended to Abolish or Modify the Presidential Pardon Power
- Notes
- Index
Summary
Reviews the pardon practice of President Joe Biden and that of the first eighteen months of Trump’s second term. Notes and critiques Biden’s use of mass pardons as a mode of law reform. Expresses grave reservations about Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, and his grant of preemptive pardons to members of the Biden family and others threatened with legal retribution by Trump. Concentrates on Trump’s egregious abuses of the pardon power: granting pardons to those involved in the January 6, 2021, insurrection and preemptive pardons to uncharged planners of that insurrection; granting clemency to corrupt political allies and persons involved in businesses that financially benefited Trump and his family. Expresses grave concern that pardon power is being used as one means of achieving a regime of impunity for the president, his family, and supporters.
Keywords
Information
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- Information
- PardonsDiscretionary Mercy and the Rule of Law in Britain and America, 1066–2026, pp. 398 - 429Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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