Pardon Me

With the changing of the Presidential guard close at hand, I have been thinking about what a weird concept the presidential pardon is. According to the Constitution (Article 2, Section 2 to be exact), "The President ... shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment." So basically the President can pardon anyone at anytime for anything except impeachment. Doesn't this seem a little counterintuitive based on our nation's foundation of democracy and justice? I don't know. It just seems a little weird to me. 

Here are some of the more controversial pardons throughout history:

Brigham Young fought against U.S. troops during an armed conflict as federal forces tried to install non-Mormon officials in the state of Utah. According to some accounts, Young considered burning Salt Lake City to the ground and taking off for Mexico, but he eventually decided to peacefully step down as governor instead. President James Buchanan later pardoned Young for his role in the altercation.

Jimmy Hoffa was granted a pardon by Richard Nixon on December 23, 1971, as long as he agreed not to "engage in direct or indirect management of any labor organization" for ten years. Once released, Hoffa became a supporter for Nixon's re-election bid.

Gerald Ford pardoned his presidential predecessor, Richard Nixon. Ford would later comment that he did it less for Nixon and more for the American people, as he felt that a pardon was the only way for the nation to move on after the Watergate scandal. Still, many theorize that this action caused Ford to lose the 1976 election.

Peter Yarrow, best known for his participation in the group Peter, Paul and Mary and as co-writer of the song "Puff, the Magic Dragon," pled guilty to "taking immoral and improper liberties" with two minors who had come to his hotel room looking for an autograph. He was sentenced to one to three years in prison, but was pardoned by Jimmy Carter after serving only three months.

Junior Johnson was one of NASCAR’s first stars in the 1950s and 1960s, and he later became a successful team owner in the sport. In addition to his NASCAR ventures, Johnson was a legendary moonshine-running driver. In 1956, federal agents caught the rising NASCAR star working a moonshine still in North Carolina. He received a two-year sentence for the crime and spent 11 months in federal prison. Once Johnson got out of jail, he resumed his dominance of the NASCAR circuit. In late 1986, Ronald Reagan pardoned Johnson for his moonshining past.

Ronald Reagan pardoned New York Yankee's owner George Steinbrenner after he admitted that he was guilty of making illegal contributions to President Nixon's re-election campaign.

The heiress-turned-militant,Patty Hearst, spent almost two years in prison for her part in a 1974 bank robbery before Jimmy Carter commuted her sentence in 1979. Bill Clinton later gave Hearst a full pardon on the final day of his presidency in 2001.

Bill Clinton's half-brother, Roger Clinton, was granted a pardon for his conviction of cocaine possession. While this does reek of nepotism, it should be made clear that Roger Clinton had served his full sentence and the pardon merely restored rights denied him as a convicted felon.