Pardon Power is the Silver Award Winner for the 2024 IPBA Book Award in the category of Political & Current Events!
 
"A thoughtful and painstaking work of legal scholarship."—Kirkus Reviews

“Like all discretionary authority, the pardon power is only as virtuous as the person who controls it. Kimberly Wehle demonstrates that it can be a righteous tool to remedy wrongful convictions, reduce excessive sentences, and recognize extraordinary rehabilitation, but it also can be used to obstruct investigations, benefit political allies, and reward people for paying the President’s friends. Professor Wehle’s timely book illuminates a vast constitutional power likely to be debated during the 2024 presidential campaign and beyond.” 
—Rod Rosenstein, Deputy Attorney General, Trump Administration

“In Pardon Power, Kim Wehle debunks the orthodoxy that the President’s pardon power has no limits and argues persuasively that its use for corruption has no place in our system of laws. A must-read for those who care about the fate of American democracy.” 
—Charlie Sykes, MSNBC contributor/columnist and author of How the Right Lost Its Mind

“In sharp, accessible prose, Kim Wehle traces the President’s pardon power from its historical origins to its looming implications for democracy today. This book is a vital contribution in a critical time where we must look to strengthen the guardrails against corruption.” —Mimi Rocah, former federal prosecutor and Division Chief, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York
 
“PARDON POWER reads like a crime thriller and a mystery novel. It is a compelling read and I recommend it to everybody.” 
—Glenn Kirschner, NBC/MSNBC legal analyst & host of “Justice Matters”
 
The president’s power to pardon federal crimes is immense, with roots in ancient notions of mercy and amnesty. However, this power, seemingly boundless under the Constitution, lacks clear constraints, inviting concerns about abuse. Recent discussions in the U.S. Supreme Court have raised alarms about the potential for presidential abuse of pardons, highlighting the need for accountability within the pardon system to uphold the foundational premise that no one is above the law.
 
In Pardon Power: How the Pardon System Works—and Why, Kim Wehle explores the historical context and contemporary challenges surrounding the presidential pardon. Wehle contends that any pardon undermining the principle of accountability before the law, including self-pardons, cannot be constitutionally justified. Urgent recognition of the necessity for guardrails around the pardon power is essential to safeguard American democracy.
 
Kimberly Wehle (pronounced “Whale-ee”) is an expert in constitutional law and the separation of powers, with particular emphasis on presidential power and administrative agencies. She is a tenured law professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law, where she teaches Constitutional Law, Civil Procedure, Administrative law, and Federal Courts. She is also a legal contributor for ABC News and regularly writes for Politico, The Atlantic, and The Bulwark. Winner of the University of Maryland System Board of Regents Award for excellence in scholarship, she also writes and comments on the Supreme Court, election law and voting rights. She was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Washington D.C. office and Associate Independent Counsel in the Whitewater Investigation. She is author of the books, What You Need to Know about Voting—and Why, How to Read The Constitution—and Why, and How to Think Like a Lawyer—and Why: A Common-Sense Guide to Everyday Dilemmas. Her forthcoming book, How the Pardon Power Works—and Why, is due out in June of 2024.