Help Ward Bird of Moultonborough

jrc · 01-20-2011, 04:03 PM

Well GWB did just that, he reduced Libby's sentence. So I'm assuming the that our Governor has the same discretion. If you can issue full pardons, it seems like partials pardons would be OK.

Pardons don't set a legal precedent. Obviously someone else convicted of the same crime can apply for a pardon. But they can't go to a judge and say he got pardoned so you have to set me free. Thousands of people have been pardoned, it doesn't effect the law that convicted them. This is totally seperate from the normal appeals process. Appeals usually need some reason, a mistake in law, new evidence, a mistake at trial or something.

Pardons are outside of all that. It's another check and balance. An executive check on the judicial system.

The pardon is a safety valve for special cases. Even if everything is correct, the law, the trial, the evidence, there can still be a pardon. The only requirement is to convince the Governor that the pardon is a good idea. It applies only to that person and that crime.

I don't know enough about this case to render an opinion, I'm really addressing pardons in general.

01-20-2011, 04:03 PM	#11
jrc Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NH Posts: 2,689 Thanks: 33 Thanked 439 Times in 249 Posts	Well GWB did just that, he reduced Libby's sentence. So I'm assuming the that our Governor has the same discretion. If you can issue full pardons, it seems like partials pardons would be OK. Pardons don't set a legal precedent. Obviously someone else convicted of the same crime can apply for a pardon. But they can't go to a judge and say he got pardoned so you have to set me free. Thousands of people have been pardoned, it doesn't effect the law that convicted them. This is totally seperate from the normal appeals process. Appeals usually need some reason, a mistake in law, new evidence, a mistake at trial or something. Pardons are outside of all that. It's another check and balance. An executive check on the judicial system. The pardon is a safety valve for special cases. Even if everything is correct, the law, the trial, the evidence, there can still be a pardon. The only requirement is to convince the Governor that the pardon is a good idea. It applies only to that person and that crime. I don't know enough about this case to render an opinion, I'm really addressing pardons in general.