Pardons Archives - Public Seminar

Why the U.S. constitution doesn’t give the president a “GET OUT OF JAIL FREE” card

In the event of a 2024 reelection, the question arises: Can Trump pardon himself? Constitutionally, this issue exists within a gray area....

History

Waiting for the Executioner in 1848 Austria

Regime change and the case for clemency

January 21, 2021 • by Alison Frank Johnson

_____ In 1848, the Austrian Empire was ruled by the absolutist equivalent of a lame-duck emperor. In March, a peaceful demand for civil rights escalated into a full-fledged revolution. The emperor and his advisors were forced to flee the capital city of Vienna. It was a strange situation. An emperor ruled in ...