http://dx.doi.org/10.59704/43ca57dcc7f02b87 https://verfassungsblog.de/pardons-criminal-theory-and-political-sociology/ Pardons, Criminal Theory, and Political Sociology Husak, Douglas eng 2025-08-21 electronic resource text/html ddc:342 Criminal Law Pardon Power Pardons Philosophy Trump Verfassungsblog Verfassungsblog--2366-7044 CC BY-SA 4.0 Donald Trump’s use of the presidential pardon has transformed a constitutional power into a tool of personal loyalty and partisan retribution. Rather than correcting injustice, his pardons reward allies, shield loyalists, and punish critics. This shift reflects not only a philosophical challenge to the logic of criminal law, but also a deeper sociopolitical trend: the erosion of accountability through transactional governance. As legal boundaries blur and institutional checks falter, the rule of law itself is drawn into the orbit of authoritarian impulse.