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A _personal_ pardon power is a bit of an oddity these days, though; by the 19th century it was dead in the UK, say (George VI _attempted_ to use it, but at that point it was essentially a constitutional crisis, and he backed down).

Yes, I'm aware of the history. That history, in my mind, only underscores that the presidential pardon is a holdover of monarchical power that should have no role in a governmental system that is supposed to be based on the rule of law.

> to ensure justice and mercy within the legal system.

But it does no such thing. All it does is to make the ultimate arbiter of what counts as "justice" a single person. That is not a good thing and is not conducive to justice.

Pardons exists also in Civil Law.

Are pre-emptive blanket pardons traditional? I can see how Trump or some future president might abuse that, especially if autopen is allowed so that thousands or even tens of thousands can be pardoned at once to prevent subsequent political lawfare.

Jimmy Carter issued a pre-emptive blanket pardon for the Vietnam War draft evaders, so precedence has been set.