nam 22 uu 4500 10.59704/43ca57dcc7f02b87 DE-Verfassungsblog cr||||| 250821s2025||||xx#|||||o|||| ||| 0|eng|| 10.59704/43ca57dcc7f02b87 doi eng 342 23 Husak, Douglas Author aut Pardons, Criminal Theory, and Political Sociology Husak, Douglas Verfassungsblog 2025-08-21 Text txt rdacontent Computermedien c rdamedia Online-Ressource cr rdacarrier 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. CC BY-SA 4.0 Criminal Law Pardon Power Pardons Philosophy Trump Max Steinbeis Verfassungsblog gGmbH Verfassungsblog 2366-7044 https://verfassungsblog.de/pardons-criminal-theory-and-political-sociology/ raw object