The issue of reforming presidential pardon power has been percolating for decades, but it came to a head at the end of Donald Trump’s presidency. In his final days in office, Trump granted pardons to nearly 150 individuals, many of whom had close ties to the former president. The power of the presidential pardon was written into the Constitution as a safeguard against judicial decisions later deemed too harsh. It allows the president to grant clemency to individuals charged with federal crimes without seeking approval from other branches of government. The pardons are not subject to override. However, they do…

Congress demonstrated its disapproval of the Trump administration’s recent military action against Iran when it approved a bipartisan resolution (S.J. Res. 68) limiting the president’s war powers against that country. Weeks after the Trump administration ordered an airstrike in January that killed Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian general, the Senate passed S.J. Res. 68 in a 55-45 vote, with eight Republicans joining all Senate Democrats in approving the measure. In March the House passed the measure by a vote of 227-186, with several Republicans joining Democrats in support of the resolution. President Trump, however, is likely to veto it. “With…