Is it a morally permissible exercise of mercy for a governor to commute the death sentences of everyone on a state\u27s death row, as Governor Ryan recently did in Illinois? I distinguish three different theories of mercy. The first two theories locate mercy within a theory of punishment as retribution. The first theory treats mercy as a means by which to achieve equity. As such, this theory is not really a theory of mercy; it is instead a theory of justice. The second theory treats mercy as a genuine virtue independent of justice. In particular, mercy is understood as an imperfect obligation. But such a theory cannot, I argue, justify mass commutations. Mercy so understood comes at the cost of doing justice. As such, at some point short of...