presidential pardon news stories on Newser

Obama 'Pardons' Sea Turtles

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:10:17 CST

Apparently it’s not just turkeys that are eligible for a presidential pardon—sea turtles are, too. President Obama "pardoned" four of them yesterday during a visit to Hawaii’s Sea Life Park, releasing the 18-month-old turtles into Hanauma Bay. The president was accompanied by his daughters and a group of friends,...

In Presidential Pardons, It Helps to Have the Right Pals

John Johnson — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:17:23 CST

ProPublica has wrapped up a two-part investigation into the very subjective world of presidential pardons, and one thing is not so subjective anymore: If you are white and happen to know someone in Congress, your chances of getting a pardon just went way up: Minority odds: Part one of the...

Obama Pardons 'Liberty'

Matt Cantor — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:54:13 CST

Two lucky ducks, er, turkeys dodged a dark fate this year. Liberty, who is 19 weeks old and weighs 45 pounds, received a presidential Thanksgiving pardon; her alternate, Peace, also got one, USA Today notes. President Obama said it was his latest “executive order” that didn’t require Congressional approval. Thanksgiving,...

Turkey Pardon as Barbaric as Death Penalty

Matt Cantor — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:00:05 CST

On the surface, the annual presidential pardon of a turkey may be all in fun, but it’s also a disturbing reminder of the continued existence of the death penalty in this country. The pardon makes light of “the strange power vested in politicians to decide the earthly fates of death-row...

Obama Pardons 9, Including 'Coin Mutilator'

savageviking — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 19:20:13 CST

Proving his mercy isn’t limited to Thanksgiving turkeys, President Obama exercised his pardon power for the first time today to erase the criminal pasts of nine individuals convicted of various crimes, some dating as far back as the 1960s. The most unusual case appeared to be that of a man...

Obama Spares Turkeys 'Shellacking'

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 11:11:54 CST

It's official: President Obama has pardoned the National Thanksgiving Turkey. Continuing a decades-old White House tradition, Obama issued pardons today to a gobbler named "Apple" and its alternate, “Cider.” The two 21-week-old, 45-pound turkeys were raised on a California farm. Obama said it “feels pretty good to stop at least...

Malawi Leader Pardons Jailed Gay Couple

Sat, 29 May 2010 10:26:12 CDT

Malawi's president says he has pardoned and ordered the release of a jailed gay couple sentenced to 14 years in prison. President Bingu wa Mutharika made the announcement today during a press conference with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Lilongwe, the capital. A judge earlier this month convicted and sentenced...

Cheney's Libby 'Crusade' Strained Ties With Bush

John Johnson — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:29:02 CDT

Dick Cheney pursued a pardon for former aide Scooter Libby so doggedly in his final days in office that he pushed the bounds of his 9-year relationship with George Bush, reports Time . It wasn't so much a political issue as a moral "crusade" for Cheney, write Massimo Calabresi and Michael...

McCain Asks Obama to Pardon Boxing Champ

Kevin Spak — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 05:00:00 CDT

John McCain has introduced a resolution requesting a posthumous presidential pardon for Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion of the world, the LA Times reports. Johnson suffered what McCain calls a “racially motivated conviction” in 1913 for dating a white woman. Prosecutors said he’d violated the Mann Act, which...