# What really happens to those presidentially pardoned turkeys?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-really-happens-to-those-presidentially-pardoned-turkeys/275369>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 17, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-really-happens-to-those-presidentially-pardoned-turkeys/275369 "2004-11-17T23:10:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-really-happens-to-those-presidentially-pardoned-turkeys/275369/21 "2004-11-18T19:50:51Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> IIRC a presidental pardon can be used in either Federal or State circumstances. Didn’t Ford pardon Nixon for crimes he may have commited but not been charged with yet?

He did, but that only applied to any federal crimes which Nixon may or may not have committed. The President cannot do anything about state crimes. Generally, the governor of a state has pardon power within that state, but the rules vary from state to state.

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**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-really-happens-to-those-presidentially-pardoned-turkeys/275369/22 "2004-11-18T20:03:07Z")

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After much googleing this afternoon I have come to the conclusion that you are correct, State crimes cannot be pardoned by the president. So technically the president is over strecthing his authority by repriving them from a death sentance. I don’t belive that we have a federal death sentance statue.

An interesting point I saw that state laws can be affected by presidential pardons. Like say you get pardoned for a felony, the state cannot stop you from getting a handgun after you are pardoned.

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**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-really-happens-to-those-presidentially-pardoned-turkeys/275369/23 "2004-11-18T20:14:56Z")

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> [@Si Amigo](#):
>
> . I don’t belive that we have a federal death sentance statue.

Tell that to Timothy McVeigh.

Uh, no, wait a second…

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**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-really-happens-to-those-presidentially-pardoned-turkeys/275369/24 "2004-11-18T20:27:40Z")

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Okay, there is a federal death penality (must google first, must google first!)

But tell me: Is it a federal crime to be Tasty and Delicious?

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**Author:** ![BlueMit11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@BlueMit11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueMit11)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-really-happens-to-those-presidentially-pardoned-turkeys/275369/25 "2004-11-18T21:15:57Z")

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I seem to remember _cough_ hijack _cough_ that Benjamin Franklin came quite close to making the turkey the national bird. I always hated the bald eagle, anyway.

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