Presidential pardon power is meant to correct injustice, not reward wealthy donors or political loyalists. Campaign Legal Center is working to protect equal justice under law by exposing abuses of the pardon power and advocating reforms that promote transparency, accountability and fair standards in the clemency process.
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The Constitution gives the president broad authority to grant pardons and commutations for federal crimes. Historically, this power has served as a safeguard against unfair punishment — offering clemency in exceptional cases and correcting injustices.
For decades, presidents of both parties typically relied on clemency recommendations from the Department of Justice’ (DOJ) Office of the Pardon Attorney, where career officials evaluate petitions using established criteria.
Past presidents have occasionally skirted that system, but President Trump has seemingly abandoned it altogether in his second term. Instead of using criteria to evaluate petitions, his administration has created an entirely separate clemency pipeline — one driven not by fairness or rehabilitation, but instead by wealth and political connections. When clemency decisions appear tied to influence rather than merit, public confidence in equal justice under law is weakened.
Campaign Legal Center (CLC) analyzes and exposes threats to democratic accountability, including the misuse of government powers that can shield corruption or undermine public trust. CLC’s work in this area focuses on documenting troubling patterns of pardon abuses and promoting reforms that ensure clemency functions as a tool of justice and mercy — not as a mechanism for political or financial favoritism.
