While Riggs acknowledged how unusual it was to ask her colleagues on the court to reject Griffin's requests, she emphasized the importance of their decision in upholding the rule of law and reviving public confidence.

“We have been pardoned today not for breaking the law,” Thompson said, “but for upholding it.”

"I, like all other public servants, was just doing my job and upholding my oath."

From challenging authoritarian rule to limiting the sway of the wealthy to upholding the will of the majority, Paine’s words are more relevant now than ever.

He said he would "always commit to upholding the law" but later noted Trump’s desire to overturn the 1974 Impoundment Control Act that requires congressional approval to rescind spending.