# Presidential pardons **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 18, 2004, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-pardons/269811 "2004-10-18T12:48:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-pardons/269811/1 "2004-10-18T12:48:07Z")
Does the President’s power to grant pardons apply only to federal crimes, or does it apply to state crimes too? ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-pardons/269811/2 "2004-10-18T13:19:31Z")
Federal crimes only. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-pardons/269811/3 "2004-10-18T13:41:25Z")
See [Article II, § 2](http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/article02/) of the U.S. Constitution: > [@](#): > > **Section 2.** > > The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and **he shall have Power to Grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States,** except in Cases of Impeachment. The power only extends to offences against the U.S., i.e. federal crimes, and not to offences against individual states.