Das Begnadigungsrecht des Präsidenten: Rechtsgrundlage und praktische Anwendung zwischen 2001-2025

he U.S. president’s pardon power is among the broadest executive authorities granted by the U.S. Constitution and has, particularly in recent years, sparked intense public debate. This dissertation examines the constitutional foundations of the pardon power and analyzes its application between 2001 and 2025 by George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden. The study demonstrates how profoundly the exercise of this authority is shaped by the individual officeholder, and it contextualizes presidential decisions within their specific political and social environments, thereby also revealing each president’s self-conception.

Corazon Dahlmann studied Sinology at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, with minors in American Cultural History and Law, and additionally completed her legal studies. She received her doctorate there in 2025 with the present dissertation in the field of American Cultural History.

Research data DOI 10.5282/ubm/data.836