Can the crime of espionage be pardoned? n/t

never been attempted nor ruled upon. it sure smells wrong, and i would be surprised if the supreme court upheld it, but i'd be just as surprised if it were even attempted in the first place.

Of course, not even Nixon was that uncouth. Bush, on the other hand, just might be.

It extends to anything except impeachments.

In a "more perfect union", allowing just one man to make pardons and allow supreme court justices a secure job until they day they die is dumb.

...and huge differences between the colonies in an age before modern communications, there was bound to be a risk of great disparity in what passed for justice in various parts of the nation. Something winked at in New Hampshire could get you life in Georgia.

There had to be some <I>central</i> countervailing force to the judiciary that did the convict some good. Impeaching a justice has no retrospective force, but pardoning does.

So, between checks and balances, and the virtually unlimited pardon power of the British monarch -- some of whose features survive in the president -- the virtually unlimited pardon power of the executive isn't surprising.

...upon good behavior, same as any other Federal judges, and are impeachable, as are any other Federal judges.

Be careful what you wish for. If you term-limit federal appellate judges, you term-limit the sinners and the saints.

The chief executive appoints judges and grants pardons; the courts interpret the law; the Senate approves the appointment and the House can impeach the chief executive, his officers or federal judges, any of whom can then be removed by the Senate. The president cannot pardon impeachments.

Giving federal judges a lifetime appointment was to secure their independence; that keeps them safe from a tyrannical chief executive who just wants any given judge gone for no better reason than he disagrees with one decision or another.

By the way, I see nothing in the Constitution that says a sitting president cannot be indicted for a federal crime. It might be somewhat difficult to prosecute, however, since he can pardon himself. Two special prosecutors investigating presidential wrong doing in recent years preferred instead to refer the matter to the House of Representatives for impeachment.

Is that why you asked the question? Or maybe even the Cuban terrorist?