Presidential pardons

[Acer]

He only pardons a handful of the thousands who apply, and he's not freeing mass murderers. It's typically white-collar crimes or those that have a political dimension. Sometimes it's a "friend" who probably ought to have been left in, but that's the price, I guess.

I think it's a good idea to have somewhere to go to plead your case one last time, especially where the law demands a certain verdict that may be too harsh when looking at the particulars of the individual case.