Questions tagged [pardon]
The power, usually held by a head of state, to free and/or absolve a person convicted of a crime. Distinct from appeals, which are processed judicially. Questions here should focus on political aspects rather than legal.
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On what basis are pardoning decisions made by presidents or governors when exercising their pardoning power?
Many countries have pardoning powers vested in the hands of presidents and governors by their constitutions. There don't appear to be any limitations on this power in many cases, but on what basis are ...
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What makes Brittney Griner more worthy of a prisoner swap?
My guess is that there are thousands of USA citizens convicted of foreign crimes (and held in prison in foreign countries), and hundreds with a misdemeanor nature similar to that of Brittney Griner's ...
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Why does the Tamil Nadu government want to release Rajiv Gandhi's assassins, and why does the Indian government oppose it?
The Union Government of India seems to be against the will of the government of the state of Tamil Nadu regarding the release of the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.
For example: The ...
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Why prosecute someone who has been promised a pardon?
I am specifically thinking of the McCloskey Couple who had their week of fame/infamy in the summer of this year. When circuit attorney Kim Gardner issued charges against them, Missouri Gov. said he ...
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Could a state governor use their pardon power to perform controlled experiments on sentencing policy?
My understanding is that state governors have roughly unilateral power to pardon state crimes. (First of all, is this true?)
If so, suppose that a governor were to announce something like the ...
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Does the impeachment of Donald Trump render his future pardons void? [duplicate]
Usually near the end of their terms, U.S. Presidents grant pardons. It is expected from current U.S. President Donal Trump that he will grant several pardons in the following week. Granting pardons is ...
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Pardoning US military commanders
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Can a future president fully pardon any military commanders convicted of or charged with insubordination or any similar crime for refusing to follow orders of a current POTUS to take ...
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Presidential pardon before legal proceedings in the USA [closed]
In the Constitution with Annotations the following is written in Footnote 6 (link)
"A pardon may be exercised at any time after its commission, either before legal proceedings are taken, or ...
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What did the framers have to say about the idea of a self pardon?
Did they not explicitly state in the Constitution that it isn’t allowed because they thought it was ok or because the idea of that happening was too ridiculous to warrant their attention?
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Who would rule on the validity of a self pardon if there were one?
Supreme Court, Congress, State Court?
Or would there be no ruling?
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Does the President have the power to pardon "persons unknown"? [duplicate]
If a President wanted to pardon "persons unknown who were involved in [a particular activity or event]", would they have the power to do so? Or can a President only pardon named individuals?...
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What are the restrictions that a President has when issuing a pardon?
There is speculation that Trump might be issuing pardons for his family members even if they haven't been charged with a crime.
It seems there is precedent for this and that a President can pardon ...
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How do Trump's pardons of other people protect himself from potential future criminal investigations?
A Washington Post article that describes President Trump's pardons over the last few days says the following:
The move sparked blowback, mostly from Democrats, who accused him of wielding his ...
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Presidential record of personal ties with the power of pardon practice
Has there ever been a US POTUS with a record of more personal ties with the power of pardons being practiced than that of president Trump's at the current moment?
While he has less than one month ...
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Trump pardons...Trump? [duplicate]
If Gerald Ford was able to preemptively pardon Richard Nixon, what would stop Trump from doing that to himself? Why doesn't every president do that, just in case?
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