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Full-Text Articles in Law
The Clemency Process In Virginia, Walter A. Mcfarlane
The Clemency Process In Virginia, Walter A. Mcfarlane
University of Richmond Law Review
When asked to contribute an article on the issue of clemency, I immediately knew the area I wanted to address: the procedural and practical aspects of the clemency process in Virginia. While numerous articles have been written about clemency, few have examined the procedural rules and none have comprehensively studied the executive viewpoint regarding this area of the law.
Federal Executive Clemency Power: The President's Prerogative To Escape Accountability, James N. Jorgensen
Federal Executive Clemency Power: The President's Prerogative To Escape Accountability, James N. Jorgensen
University of Richmond Law Review
The United States Constitution vests the President with "power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment." Although Virginia delegate Edmund Randolph raised concerns about the executive branch possibly abusing the pardon power to conceal criminal conduct at the Constitutional Convention, Randolph's colleagues relied upon the presumption that a president would not break the law and defeated his motion to limit presidential pardon power to cases of treason. Recently, the scandalous Iran-Contra affair has demonstrated that, contrary to the Framers' expectations, presidents may circumvent or directly violate federal laws.