7 Famous Presidential Pardons - Sigma Documentaries

7 Famous Presidential Pardons - Sigma Documentaries A federal pardon in the United States is the action of the President of the United States that completely sets aside the punishment for a federal crime. The authority to take such action is granted to the president by the U.S. Constitution. A pardon is one form of the clemency power of the president, the others being commutation of sentence, remission of fine or restitution, and reprieve.[1] A person may decide not to accept a pardon, in which case it does not take effect,[2] according to a Supreme Court majority opinion in Burdick v. United States.[3] In 2021, the 10th Circuit ruled that acceptance of a pardon does not constitute a legal confession of guilt, recognizing the Supreme Court’s earlier language as dicta.[4] Under the Constitution, the president’s clemency power extends to all federal criminal offenses, except in cases of impeachment.[5] All requests for executive clemency for federal offenses are normally directed to the Of