So, what, Hannah, we always like to end our episodes with kind of a, so what, you know, like

an idea to chew on based on everything we've learned over the course of the episode.

And I'd like to do things a little differently this time.

I want to start this episode with a big existential thought.

Any particular reason?

Well, we're talking about presidential pardons this week, what they are, how they work, and whether a president

can pardon themselves.

Because as of right now, Donald Trump, who has 44 federal felony charges against him between two federal cases is running for re-election.

So pardons aren't just a legal question, they are a campaign issue.

Would I vote for a candidate who, if elected, could potentially

shut down a criminal investigation of himself or any of his friends?

Who could use his presidency to supersede his own Justice Department?

Or they might not really be wondering that at all because selecting a candidate at the polls these days is a nuanced thing. But I mean I personally am on the edge of

my seat in this era of testing the system so go on. Okay so yes this is a topic that is extremely relevant to one particular presidential

candidate right now at a very divisive time in our history.

But Hannah, I'd argue we would be doing our listeners a disservice if we limited

our conversation to just that one person, because it has consequences well beyond one

party or one election.

I think it's important to distinguish between what presidents can do and what presidents should do.

It's the same Constitution, Whether you like the President or not, the

President's powers are supposed to be the same. This is Brian Kult,

constitutional law professor at Michigan State University College of Law. He studies the presidency

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