The power of presidents and governors to overrule judges and juries by pardoning convicted felons or commuting their sentences is a vestige of ancient monarchial authority. As one history of the pardon power puts it: “The prerogative of mercy made its debut on the statutory rolls of the Anglo-Saxon monarchs during the...
Proposed Ballot Measure Would Let California Parolees Vote
SACRAMENTO — Tens of thousands of parolees would be allowed to vote under a state constitutional amendment proposed Monday by California's secretary of state and Democratic lawmakers who called it the next civil rights issue. The proposal intended for the 2020 ballot would help nearly 50,000 felons who have served...