PARDON

pardon,n. The act or an instance of officially nullifying punishment or other legal consequences of a crime. • A pardon is usu. granted by the chief executive of a government. The President has the sole power to issue pardons for federal offenses, and state governors have the power to issue pardons for state crimes. — Also termed executive pardon. See CLEMENCY. Cf. COMMUTATION (2); REPRIEVE. [Cases: Pardon and Parole  23. C.J.S. Pardon and Parole §§ 11–12, 14–16, 22–26, 29–30.] — pardon,vb.

“The term pardon is first found in early French law and derives from the Late Latin perdonare (‘to grant freely’), suggesting a gift bestowed by the sovereign. It has thus come to be associated with a somewhat personal concession by a head of state to the perpetrator of an offense, in mitigation or remission of the full punishment that he has merited.” Leslie Sebba, “Amnesty and Pardon,” in 1 Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice 59, 59 (Sanford H. Kadish ed., 1983).

absolute pardon.A pardon that releases the wrongdoer from punishment and restores the offender’s civil rights without qualification. — Also termed full pardon; unconditional pardon.

[Cases: Pardon and Parole  23. C.J.S. Pardon and Parole §§ 11–12, 14–16, 22–26, 29–30.] conditional pardon.A pardon that does not become effective until the wrongdoer satisfies a prerequisite or that will be revoked upon the occurrence of some specified act. [Cases: Pardon and Parole  23. C.J.S. Pardon and Parole §§ 11–12, 14–16, 22–26, 29–30.]

faultless pardon.A pardon granted because the act for which the person was convicted was not a crime.

general pardon.See AMNESTY.

partial pardon.A pardon that exonerates the offender from some but not all of the punishment or legal consequences of a crime. [Cases: Pardon and Parole  23. C.J.S. Pardon and Parole §§ 11–12, 14–16, 22–26, 29–30.]

[Blacks Law 8th]