What crimes can a president not pardon?

The President of the United States may pardon anyone who commits a federal offense against the United States. They may also pardon anyone who commits a federal offense against the District of Columbia. The president cannot grant pardons for violations of state laws.

What crimes can the president not pardon?

Under the Constitution, the President has the authority to grant pardon for federal offenses, including those obtained in the United States District Courts, the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, and military courts-martial. The President cannot pardon a state criminal offense.

What limits are there on the pardon powers of the president?

There are no limits to how many people the President may pardon. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, for example, pardoned 2,819 individuals during his time in office – more than any other President. President Barack Obama pardoned 212 individuals during his time in office.

Has Donald Trump pardoned anyone?

Trump issued a total of 144 pardons during his first four years in office: 1 in 2017, 6 in 2018, 11 in 2019, 52 in 2020, and 74 in January 2021.

Did any President not pardon anyone?

Whig president William Henry Harrison was one of only two presidents who issued no pardons, the other being James A. Garfield. This was due to Harrison's death shortly after taking office.

Can A Presidential Pardon Overturn A Court Decision? - Criminal Defense Law Uncovered

Did Barack Obama pardon anyone?

On this day, Obama pardoned 64 individuals and commuted the sentence of 209 individuals (109 of whom faced life sentences). These included Chelsea Manning and Oscar López Rivera, enabling them to be released from prison on May 17, 2017.

Can a presidential pardoned felon own a firearm?

A person convicted of a felony, a specified violent crime, or a drug crime loses the right to possess a firearm. This right may be restored by a pardon.

Which president did not use the Bible to take the oath of office?

Several U.S. Presidents did not use a Bible for their oath, including John Quincy Adams (used a law book), Theodore Roosevelt (used no book at his first swearing-in), and Lyndon B. Johnson (used a Catholic missal), with Calvin Coolidge also noting he didn't use one, adhering to Vermont tradition. The Constitution doesn't require a Bible, allowing for these variations, often signifying a belief in secularism or responding to unique circumstances. 

Did Trump pardon Rudy Giuliani?

In April 2024, he was indicted on charges related to the 2020 election in Arizona. He was later disbarred in the state of New York in July, and in the District of Columbia in September. In November 2025, Trump pardoned Giuliani.

Are you still a convicted felon if you get a presidential pardon?

When the president grants a pardon, it erases any punishment and guilt of the pardoned person. It also restores the civil rights of the pardoned. However, a pardon does not remove an offense from a person's criminal record. Instead, the offense and pardon will appear on the person's record.

Can the Supreme Court override a presidential pardon?

The Pardon Attorney investigates and reviews applications for clemency but serves only an advisory role; the president may disregard the findings. The pardon power is considered "plenary" and thus generally cannot be restricted or modified by Congress or the judiciary.

What does Article 72 of the Constitution deal with?

Article 72 empowers the President the power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions of punishment or to suspend, remit or commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offence.

What are 2/3 limitations of the power of the President?

Two key limitations on presidential power are Congressional Checks (like overriding vetoes, controlling funding, and Senate approval for appointments/treaties) and the Judiciary's Power of Review, where courts can declare executive actions unconstitutional, alongside practical constraints like divided government and public opinion, which limit a president's ability to enact their agenda. 

How many people did Trump pardon in 2025?

List of people granted executive clemency in the second Trump presidency. In his role as the 47th president of the United States (January 20, 2025 – present), Donald Trump granted executive clemency to more than 1,600 individuals as of July 23, 2025, all of whom were charged or convicted of federal criminal offenses.

What are the only two limits on the president's pardon power?

The language in the Constitution highlights just two limits to the presidential pardon power. The president's authority extends only to offenses against the United States (federal crimes), meaning state crimes are beyond the president's control. And the president cannot circumvent Congress' power of impeachment.

Can a person refuse a pardon from the president?

6, 2021, on his first day back in the Oval Office. Two of those convicted Jan. 6 rioters declined to accept the presidential pardon. Northeastern University law experts say that a presidential pardon can not only be refused, but it may be practical for some recipients to do so.

What did Trump pardon Charles Kushner for?

Donald Trump pardoned Charles Kushner, his son-in-law Jared Kushner's father, in December 2020, citing Kushner's "reform and charity" after he served time for tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions, and witness tampering, a pardon seen as rewarding loyalty and benefiting family, despite the serious nature of the crimes, particularly the act of hiring a prostitute to entrap and record his own brother-in-law to intimidate him into silence. 

What black lady did Trump pardon?

The prominent Black woman pardoned by Donald Trump and later appointed his "Pardon Czar" is Alice Marie Johnson, a criminal justice reform advocate who served over 21 years for a nonviolent drug offense before Trump commuted her life sentence in 2018 and fully pardoned her in 2020. She was appointed to her advisory role in early 2025, recommending individuals for clemency, and her advocacy, championed by figures like Kim Kardashian, brought her case to national attention. 

Which Bible did Trump swear on?

For his inaugurations, Donald Trump swore his oath on two Bibles: his own family Bible, given to him by his mother, and the Lincoln Bible, a historic book Abraham Lincoln used for his 1861 swearing-in. Trump placed his hand on both books, stacking his personal Bible on top of Lincoln's, continuing a tradition started by Barack Obama who also used the Lincoln Bible. 

What president didn't believe in God?

While no president so far has ever openly identified as an atheist, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and William Howard Taft were speculated to be atheists by their opponents during political campaigns; in addition, a survey during the first presidency of Donald Trump showed that 63% of Americans did not believe he ...

Can you refuse to swear on a Bible in court?

Today it is well settled that the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution denies the government any authority to coerce a person into performing a religious act, including swearing oaths on a bible.

What state is the most felony friendly?

The most friendly state for felons is Vermont, where no felons are disenfranchised and no voting restrictions. In the US, there are 5.17 million people disenfranchised due to a felony conviction. There are 2 million people in prisons around the US.

Can two felons live in the same house?

The Takeaway:

If both people fully completed their sentences, two felons can live together. But often, terms of release or probation will prohibit you from living with another felon. A judge may make exceptions in some cases, such as if you are married to someone with a felony record.