Pardons for uniformed misconduct
Pardons or clemency for service members convicted of war crimes, serious misconduct, or unlawful violence — granted for political effect rather than after the deliberate processes that military justice and clemency systems provide — undercut both civilian control and the integrity of military discipline. The publication tracks cases where the clemency action bypasses or overrides the recommendations of military leadership and the trial record, regardless of which administration grants them.
2025 Events (1)
Trump pardoned two DC police officers convicted of murder and cover-up in Karon Hylton-Brown's death, before either served time
On January 22, 2025, President Trump granted full pardons to Washington, D.C. police officers Terence Sutton and Andrew Zabavsky before either served a day of their sentences for the 2020 death of Karon Hylton-Brown. A federal jury had convicted Sutton of second-degree murder and both officers of obstruction of justice for covering up the fatal chase; a judge had sentenced Sutton to five years and Zabavsky to four. Neither officer met Justice Department clemency guidelines, which require having served most of a sentence and expressed remorse.