President Biden issued preemptive pardons to three siblings, two spouses, and several other individuals, including Dr. Fauci and Gen. Milley, citing concerns about politically motivated investigations. These pardons, announced shortly before President-elect Trump’s inauguration, aimed to protect those targeted from the damaging effects of baseless probes, regardless of guilt or innocence. The president stated that such investigations can cause irreparable harm to reputations and finances. This action, while breaking with historical norms, follows precedent of outgoing presidents granting eleventh-hour pardons, including family members.
Read More
Biden preemptively pardons Anthony Fauci, Mark Milley, and Jan. 6 committee members, a move that has sparked considerable debate. This unprecedented action is directly aimed at shielding these individuals from potential politically motivated prosecutions under a future Trump administration. The rationale behind the pardons rests on the belief that these individuals would face intense scrutiny, harassment, and even criminal charges simply for performing their duties.
Biden preemptively pardons these individuals due to the perceived threat of a post-election “witch hunt.” The fear is not merely of investigations but of a deliberate campaign to intimidate and punish those who served in the previous administration, a fear amplified by Trump’s past rhetoric and actions.… Continue reading
President Biden advocates for a constitutional amendment explicitly removing presidential immunity from prosecution for crimes committed while in office. This proposed amendment aims to ensure accountability for all actions taken by a president, regardless of their position. The call for such an amendment follows ongoing debates about executive power and the rule of law. This initiative seeks to clarify and strengthen the principle of equal justice under the law.
Read More
This article is protected by copyright © 2024 Fortune Media IP Limited. Use is governed by their Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The FORTUNE trademark is registered in the U.S. and elsewhere. Note that compensation may be received for certain product links, and offers are subject to change.
Read More
Biden’s recent decision to block all future oil drilling across 625 million acres of US ocean territory is a bold move with significant long-term implications. The legality of this action hinges on the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which, unusually, allows for presidential decisions under its authority to be permanent, barring Congressional intervention. This means that even a future administration, such as a potential Trump administration, would face a significant hurdle to reverse this policy, needing to change the law itself rather than simply issuing a new executive order.
This raises questions about the potential for both good and bad uses of such permanently binding presidential power.… Continue reading
President-elect Trump intends to reverse President Biden’s commutation of 37 federal death sentences, directing the Department of Justice to aggressively pursue capital punishment upon his inauguration. This action follows Trump’s consistent campaign rhetoric advocating for increased use of the death penalty, particularly for violent crimes and drug trafficking. While Biden’s commutations are irreversible, Trump’s administration can resume seeking the death penalty in future cases. Three individuals remain on federal death row, all convicted of mass violence.
Read More
A New York judge has ruled that Donald Trump is not entitled to immunity from prosecution in the hush-money case. This decision directly addresses Trump’s attempt to leverage claims of presidential immunity to dismiss the 34 felony charges against him. The judge’s rejection of this argument is significant, representing a decisive blow to Trump’s legal strategy. This ruling allows the criminal case to proceed, unburdened by the complexities and potential delays that the immunity claim introduced.
The judge’s decision explicitly rejects the argument that actions taken before Trump assumed the presidency, or during his time in office, automatically shield him from prosecution under the umbrella of presidential immunity.… Continue reading
President Biden granted clemency to nearly 1,800 individuals, representing the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history. This included approximately 1,500 commutations for those who completed home confinement sentences initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic and 39 pardons for nonviolent offenses. The actions followed a pardon for Biden’s son, Hunter, and are expected to be followed by further clemency grants before the end of his term. These actions reflect Biden’s stated commitment to providing second chances and addressing sentencing disparities.
Read More
The pardon of Hunter Biden has ignited a firestorm of criticism, yet the consensus among legal experts seems to be that overturning the pardon is simply not feasible. This isn’t a novel situation; presidential pardons have been a source of contention throughout history, but the current political climate has amplified the outrage.
The intensity of the backlash is perceived by some as hypocritical, pointing to the relative silence surrounding similar actions by previous administrations. The argument is raised that the same individuals now decrying the pardon were largely unconcerned by previous instances of presidential pardons deemed controversial or politically motivated.
The argument that the pardon represents a gross miscarriage of justice often clashes with the legal reality that a presidential pardon is, within the bounds of its constitutional authority, unchallengeable.… Continue reading
President-elect Trump has demanded that the next Senate Republican leader agree to recess appointments, a tactic that allows the president to bypass the traditional Senate confirmation process. Trump argues that recess appointments are necessary to fill crucial positions within his administration quickly, citing delays experienced during his previous term. He has also urged Republicans to block Democrats from confirming judges during this period of transition. These demands mark a significant departure from the usual norms of Senate confirmation and may create tension between the president-elect and the incoming Senate majority leader.
Read More
John Q. Hosedrinker 
Matt Underwood