Restoring the Rule of Law: How the Trump Administration and Nolan Center for Justice Depoliticized the Justice System in 2025

President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States one year ago today, delivering a historic address from the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in which he promised to put America First above all else.

Over the past year, the Trump Administration has made significant strides in fundamentally reforming America's judicial system by fighting for fairness and depoliticizing a justice system that was previously used to persecute political enemies of those in power. The CPAC Nolan Center for Justice has supported key policy decisions by the administration aimed at reforming both the criminal justice system and the Department of Justice.

In a landmark victory for criminal justice reform, the Nolan Center joined the White House, the Department of Justice, and the Bureau of Prisons in supporting full implementation of the First Step Act. This move addresses four years of stalling by the previous administration, which refused to adhere to the law's intent to provide merited second chances.

Under a new directive led by BOP Director William K. Marshall III, the Trump Administration is maximizing the use of home confinement and streamlining the application of earned time credits. This robust implementation ensures that Americans who have proven their rehabilitation can transition back into society, reducing taxpayer costs while maintaining public safety and fulfilling the promise of the original 2018 legislation.

The Nolan Center for Justice also celebrated President Trump's decisive use of the pardon power to remedy cases of Department of Justice weaponization. A high-profile example was the pardoning of Todd and Julie Chrisley, who had been serving sentences under bank fraud and tax evasion charges.

The administration argued that the Chrisleys were targeted due to their high profile and conservative values, suffering under a weaponized legal system. By granting these pardons, the President sent a clear signal that his administration would use executive clemency to correct politically motivated prosecutions inherited from previous eras.

The accomplishments of the Trump Administration over the past year signal a definitive shift toward a justice system rooted in accountability, fairness, and the protection of constitutional rights.

Through full activation of the First Step Act and targeted use of executive clemency, the Trump Administration, with support from the Nolan Center for Justice, has dismantled the partisan overreach of the past. The CPAC Nolan Center for Justice celebrates these key policy decisions among the many others the Trump Administration has made over the past year to reform America's judicial system.