Week 1: Boxes and Boxes of Pardons
I began my internship at the MDAH with boxes of documents filled with the thoughts and actions of men long dead. One would think filing old pardon and suspension forms from 1936-1940 would be a monotonous and boring task. Over time, I began to notice patterns between the actions of the Governor and the people. From filing these forms, I came to understand a little about how a governor thinks when signing pardons. He takes into consideration the public’s attitude towards this individual and the crime they committed as well as the number of people who wish for this persons to be released.
The case that gave me the most insight was regarding poor Johnnie who had been a trustee for ten years, received hundreds of signatures petitioning for his release, was recommended by his warden to be released, had a dying mother on welfare, and was a cripple. One would think he was assured a pardon but because he was an accessory to murdering a prohibition officer, no governor would pardon him. This was not because Johnnie was a murderer because many murders were released. I believe it was because the Governor feared the public’s response to releasing a cop killer and because the Governor was an acquaintance of the man Johnnie killed.
The actions of Governor White regarding Johnnie helps explain why some leaders issues pardons to people that one does not expect and also why leaders do not issue pardons towards others. I hypothesis that Governor White feared the public’s response and media portray of releasing a man who had helped kill a cop and also was influenced by personal emotions. Sometimes leaders choose to ignore there followers requests because of emotion and a fear of backlash.
Interesting case and insights. So looking at the prompt for leader/follower relationships, you are suggesting that judges make top-down decisions, despite petitions or the recommendations/actions of others, and that those decisions are grounded in public opinion. So in some ways, people without formal leadership (the public) do have influence. This is really interesting stuff, looking at these actions and decisions. But I want to encourage you to think about the actions/decisions within the MDAH as well; at how the organization functions, is led, etc.