Biden’s mass pardons are unpardonable

Outgoing presidents in recent decades have abused their power to pardon crimes or commute sentences, but Joe Biden is taking the abuse to a new level.

Presidential pardons and commutations can be good policy if judiciously awarded to deserving recipients. However, Biden is handing out blanket pardons for entire classes of crimes. Not only does this practice significantly violate the intent of pardon power, but in practice, it means that wholly undeserving convicts, some of whom committed crimes that shouldn’t be forgiven, will have their records unjustly cleansed.