# Presidential pardons **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 4, 2017, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-pardons/779008 "2017-02-04T20:28:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Vicsage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e68b1a/32.png) [@Vicsage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vicsage)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-pardons/779008/1 "2017-02-04T20:28:36Z")
Can the President pardon criminals who were convicted for state or local crimes, not federal? Can he also issue pardons in civil cases to stop lawsuits? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-pardons/779008/2 "2017-02-04T20:33:12Z")
(Your question makes me curious if he can pardon his son in law’s father ?) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-pardons/779008/3 "2017-02-04T20:36:43Z")
Federal only, call your Governor. Civil cases aren’t criminal, there’s nothing to pardon. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-pardons/779008/4 "2017-02-04T22:36:34Z")
> [@Vicsage](#): > > Can the President pardon criminals who were convicted for state or local crimes, not federal? Can he also issue pardons in civil cases to stop lawsuits? No, and no. The President can pardon offenses against the United States — federal crimes. State crimes may be pardoned by the state governor; no executive authority I am ware of exists to simply stop a lawsuit. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-pardons/779008/5 "2017-02-04T22:48:04Z")
Keep in mind that any crimes committed in DC or the territories are technically federal crimes even if the statute was enacted by the local legislature so POTUS could issue a pardon for those. Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-pardons/779008/6 "2017-02-04T23:35:30Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > (Your question makes me curious if he can pardon his son in law’s father ?) Mr. Mezvinsky or Mr. Kushner ? Family’s always embarrassing, but I suspect presidential candidates are deliberately selected to have weird relatives to give gossip columnists something to obsess about instead of actual presidential crimes. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2017, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-pardons/779008/7 "2017-02-05T08:50:56Z")
> [@Vicsage](#): > > Can the President pardon criminals who were convicted for state or local crimes, not federal? Adding to the answers that have already been given: The President does not have to wait for a conviction to grant a pardon, as your question seems to imply. The pardon can be issued before conviction and then bars (if accepted) further prosecution for these (alleged) crimes. That was, at least officially, Ford’s justification for pardoning Nixon - he didn’t want public life in the U.S. polarised by a lengthy prosecution and trial of Nixon. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2017, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-pardons/779008/8 "2017-02-05T10:11:10Z")
Kushner. Tax evasion and illegal campaign contributions. Can he, or can he not, pardon his son-in-law’s father? (If he can, how long till he does, do you think?) ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2017, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-pardons/779008/9 "2017-02-05T13:34:27Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Can he, or can he not, pardon his son-in-law’s father? Yes, he can. Charles Kushner was convicted in the federal court in New Jersey (the US Attorney who prosecuted him was…Chris Christie).