Sunday, December 08, 2024
Sunday Reflection: Pardon and mercy
Most of you know that my work on clemency is because it is that rare point where my faith and the Constitution overlap. Mercy is an important thing.
People are divided about the Hunter Biden pardon, and so am I. It's not the purpose of the pardon power to use it to favor friends and family, which now both Trump and Biden have done.
But in the end there is this: Even at its worst, clemency is still mercy. Some will argue that some of these recipients don't deserve it, but mercy can't be just about justice-- it must be something separate and distinct. Micah 6:8 makes that clear by listing them separately.
What I want is MORE of it. For more than just those who are especially close to a president. The justice system impacts so many from all over our nation, and there is so much need for that leavening mercy. Will we get it?
