| The US President uses a pardon to ease the | | | | granted him a pardon after reviewing the case. |
| punishment of a crime committed by someone or | | | | The pardon later became an example for the |
| a body. The pardon has changed considerably | | | | scope of pardon and the legal effects on people |
| since its beginning of the original definition specified | | | | who request for pardons. |
| by the Constitution. The President can only pardon | | | | An Arkansas attorney named Garland used the |
| for crimes against laws that are directly under his | | | | pardon to continue practice law. When he was |
| authority as a chief executive. | | | | banned from practicing by the lawmakers, he |
| Early Uses of the Pardon | | | | appealed for a pardon as a reason to allow him to |
| The model of US pardon is inspired from the | | | | practice. |
| English system. An English king had the authority | | | | The 1865s Test Act required people to take oath |
| and royal freedom to pardon almost every type | | | | that they never aided the enemies of US. The |
| of crime committed against the Crown. | | | | lawmakers tried to stop Garland from practice |
| The makers of US Constitution took incorporated | | | | because he was a sympathizer of Confederates. |
| this definition and their version into this document. | | | | Garland insisted that he was pardoned from the |
| The section they included extended an important | | | | president without any trial for crimes he might |
| quantity of power to the President to grant | | | | have committed. |
| pardons and amnesty for criminal offenses | | | | The Supreme Court supported Garland. The |
| except cases of impeachment. | | | | reason reaches back to the first definition of |
| The first case involving the presidential pardon | | | | pardon; which is that the scope of pardon is |
| involved President George Washington who used | | | | unlimited except the cases of impeachment. It |
| it to repress 1974s Whiskey Rebellion. American | | | | was felt by the justices that this covered every |
| colonials had strongly disagreed with the whiskey | | | | crime under law which could be applied anytime |
| tax rebelling against it. The disruptive rebellion was | | | | during legal proceedings. |
| crushed by the government troops. Later, some | | | | Recent Pardons |
| of the participants of the rebellion were pardoned | | | | Some pardons are famous. Some recent |
| by the President. | | | | presidents used their authority to grant prominent |
| The first major case using presidential pardon | | | | public pardons. |
| made a history in 1866. The court case took | | | | In 1977, President Jimmy Carter granted a pardon |
| place when Andrew Johnson was the acting | | | | to all people who avoided military during Vietnam |
| president. While waiting for the trial regarding the | | | | War. |
| crimes he had committed in the Civil War, | | | | In 1974, President Gerald Ford granted pardon to |
| President Johnson was asked by Alexander | | | | the former President Richard Nixon for his crimes |
| Hamilton Garland for a pardon. The President | | | | during his presidential term. |