標題:Joe Biden abused a medieval power to pardon his son
The president’s reversal is understandable, humane and wrong
正文:When setting up the checks and balances in the American constitution, the document’s authors knew they wanted the judiciary to be independent of the legislative and the executive branches. But who, then, would check the judges? One answer was that the president would be able to pardon criminals. This awesome power—to override a decision taken by the courts—should be used rarely, because it is at odds with democracy and judicial independence. If it seems a bit medieval to let one man dispense (and dispense with) justice in this way, that is because it is. In British law the “prerogative of mercy” can be traced back to the reign of King Ine of Wessex in the seventh century.
知識點:set up
If you set something up, you create or arrange it. 安排; 創建
The two sides agreed to set up a commission to investigate claims. 雙方同意成立一個委員會,調查索賠問題。
...an organization which sets up meetings about issues of interest to women. …一個安排有關婦女利益問題的會議組織。
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