Why President Obama should pardon Edward Snowden

Cases like Edward Snowden's are precisely the reason the president's constitutional pardon power exists. Historically, outgoing presidents have often invoked this power in the last days of their terms -- at times on behalf of people who've committed reprehensible acts -- under the premise that mitigating circumstances outweigh the rationale for punishment. President Obama now has the opportunity to use this power proudly, in recognition of one of the most important acts of whistleblowing in modern history. Since Snowden first disclosed documents in 2013 detailing the National Security Agency's mass surveillance programs, we've seen an unprecedented global debate about the proper limits of government spying. This debate has had a transformative effect: on privacy laws and standards, on the security of the devices we depend on to communicate with one another and store sensitive information, and on how we understand our relationship to the institutions that govern us.