# An Introduction

*Personal Journey · May 7, 2026*

**By Luke McDowell**, Executive Director

> A personal reflection on why Fair Pardons exists and the journey toward meaningful constitutional reform.

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It is odd to introduce myself as Executive Director of Fair Pardons since that is an aspirational title. Right now this organization is just myself – but I am hopeful that it will grow.

I came up with the concept for Fair Pardons during many walks in the local woods. I believe in the concept of an executive pardon as an act of mercy. It is concerning to me, however, that the pardon can be used by a president to shield criminal behavior within their own administration. I am not a constitutional scholar. I work in technology. It has seemed ridiculous at many points to pursue a project that is trying to go over one of the highest bars possible – passing a U.S. constitutional ammendment. But anytime I have walked away from this project it has not been for long. I believe it is important to put this out there.

The first phase is complete: setting up this website and social media accounts. The next steps will be soliciting feedback (for example by posting in groups on Reddit), reaching out to actual constitutional scholars and continued work posting on social media.
> [!quote]
> "No man is above the law and no man is below it."
> — Theodore Roosevelt

I will continue to post updates here.

Thank you for visiting the website. Please use the [contact form](/contact/) if you would like to reach out. Subscribe to [the newsletter](/newsletter/) to receive updates.

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**Tags:** Personal, Reform