Pardon?

America loves the idea of a redemption story.

The land of second chances, of clean slates, of pulling oneself up by bootstraps that were — let’s be honest — never laced the same for everyone. It is baked into our origin myths and echoed in our laws. Among the most extraordinary powers granted by the Constitution is the authority to pardon: the ability to forgive even the gravest of crimes in the name of justice, mercy, or both.

Clemency is sacred. Or, at least, it’s supposed to be.

But what happens when that sacred power is used to reward loyalty?

When it bypasses systems designed to protect fairness? When the mercy of the state is quietly extended to the well-connected, while those without wealth, favor, or proximity to power remain incarcerated — forgotten?

That’s not redemption. Th