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IANAL, but I somehow doubt that's how pardons work. EDIT: What I specifically doubt is that Trump can just write out a pardon for "anyone on Parler". Doesn't i

IANAL, but I somehow doubt that's how pardons work. EDIT: What I specifically doubt is that Trump can just write out a pardon for "anyone on Parler". Doesn't it have to be a pardon for someone specific? Or can it be as generic and vague as he wants?

Izikiel43 6y ago
I've found these videos enlightening about how pardons work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNZc9H54eBI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNZc9H54eBI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx4FD6xtLJM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx4FD6xtLJM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMiOMNIRs3k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMiOMNIRs3k TLDR: He can pardon any federal offense.
- CodeMage 6y ago
  Thanks, I should've been more explicit about what I was doubting. I'll go edit my comment so I don't have to repeat the explanation to everyone who decides to reply :)
dredmorbius 6y ago
There's some precedent: President Carter pardons draft dodgers On January 21, 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter grants an unconditional pardon to hundreds of thousands of men who evaded the draft during the Vietnam War. In total, some 100,000 young Americans went abroad in the late 1960s and early 70s to avoid serving in the war. Ninety percent went to Canada, where after some initial controversy they were eventually welcomed as immigrants. Still others hid inside the United States. In addition to those who avoided the draft, a relatively small number–about 1,000–of deserters from the U.S. armed forces also headed to Canada. While the Canadian government technically reserved the right to prosecute deserters, in practice they left them alone, even instructing border guards not to ask too many questions. <https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/president-carter-pardons-draft-dodgers https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/president-carter...> (Not an endorsement of a mass pardon of all Parler members.)
- CodeMage 6y ago
  Thanks! As an immigrant, I'm still not very well versed in American history.
- klipt 6y ago
  That's a specific crime though. If Trump says "I pardon all Parler users for all crimes", can Parler start selling its accounts as a "get out of federal crimes free" card?
  - Larrikin 6y ago
    Pardons can not apply to future crimes, only crimes already committed and only to those specified at the time of pardon. Someone joining after would need to be pardoned again
    - arp242 6y ago
      Also, the President can only pardon federal crimes. States can still prosecute.
    - UncleSlacky 6y ago
      Not so, Ford pardoned Nixon for any (i.e. unspecified) crimes he might be accused of doing while President. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardon_of_Richard_Nixon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardon_of_Richard_Nixon
      - Larrikin 6y ago
        The Nixon pardon was issued after he left office and was for any crimes he committed while in office. Specifically in the past.
  - dredmorbius 6y ago
    Good point, and a specific past offence, rather than any possible future offence committed by some rather nebulously-identified class of people. But the Carter case does address the circumstance of pardoning a large (and arguably unknowably large) class.
walterclifford 6y ago
> can it be as generic and vague as he wants? Carter pardoned anyone/everyone who dodged the draft during the Vietnam War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proclamation_4483 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proclamation_4483
- CodeMage 6y ago
  Thanks, I didn't know that. I'm still learning about American history.
  - arp242 6y ago
    There are a bunch of other examples too; I wrote a bit about that over here a few years ago: https://politics.stackexchange.com/questions/19519/can-the-potus-perform-a-mass-pardon-for-those-who-meet-certain-criteria/19522#19522 https://politics.stackexchange.com/questions/19519/can-the-p...
root_axis 6y ago
He could just pardon them individually if necessary, just print up a list of names based on the arrest records.
- hef19898 6y ago
  Not sure he and his people are capable of that, I mean it involves research and a printer...

Izikiel43 6y ago

I've found these videos enlightening about how pardons work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNZc9H54eBI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNZc9H54eBI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx4FD6xtLJM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx4FD6xtLJM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMiOMNIRs3k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMiOMNIRs3k TLDR: He can pardon any federal offense.

CodeMage 6y ago
Thanks, I should've been more explicit about what I was doubting. I'll go edit my comment so I don't have to repeat the explanation to everyone who decides to reply :)

dredmorbius 6y ago

There's some precedent: President Carter pardons draft dodgers On January 21, 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter grants an unconditional pardon to hundreds of thousands of men who evaded the draft during the Vietnam War. In total, some 100,000 young Americans went abroad in the late 1960s and early 70s to avoid serving in the war. Ninety percent went to Canada, where after some initial controversy they were eventually welcomed as immigrants. Still others hid inside the United States. In addition to those who avoided the draft, a relatively small number–about 1,000–of deserters from the U.S. armed forces also headed to Canada. While the Canadian government technically reserved the right to prosecute deserters, in practice they left them alone, even instructing border guards not to ask too many questions. <https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/president-carter-pardons-draft-dodgers https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/president-carter...> (Not an endorsement of a mass pardon of all Parler members.)

CodeMage 6y ago
Thanks! As an immigrant, I'm still not very well versed in American history.
klipt 6y ago
That's a specific crime though. If Trump says "I pardon all Parler users for all crimes", can Parler start selling its accounts as a "get out of federal crimes free" card?
- Larrikin 6y ago
  Pardons can not apply to future crimes, only crimes already committed and only to those specified at the time of pardon. Someone joining after would need to be pardoned again
  - arp242 6y ago
    Also, the President can only pardon federal crimes. States can still prosecute.
  - UncleSlacky 6y ago
    Not so, Ford pardoned Nixon for any (i.e. unspecified) crimes he might be accused of doing while President. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardon_of_Richard_Nixon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardon_of_Richard_Nixon
    - Larrikin 6y ago
      The Nixon pardon was issued after he left office and was for any crimes he committed while in office. Specifically in the past.
- dredmorbius 6y ago
  Good point, and a specific past offence, rather than any possible future offence committed by some rather nebulously-identified class of people. But the Carter case does address the circumstance of pardoning a large (and arguably unknowably large) class.

walterclifford 6y ago

> can it be as generic and vague as he wants? Carter pardoned anyone/everyone who dodged the draft during the Vietnam War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proclamation_4483 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proclamation_4483

CodeMage 6y ago
Thanks, I didn't know that. I'm still learning about American history.
- arp242 6y ago
  There are a bunch of other examples too; I wrote a bit about that over here a few years ago: https://politics.stackexchange.com/questions/19519/can-the-potus-perform-a-mass-pardon-for-those-who-meet-certain-criteria/19522#19522 https://politics.stackexchange.com/questions/19519/can-the-p...

root_axis 6y ago

He could just pardon them individually if necessary, just print up a list of names based on the arrest records.

hef19898 6y ago
Not sure he and his people are capable of that, I mean it involves research and a printer...