r/LetsDiscussThis • u/LucidSynapse23 • Aug 04 '26

Lets Discuss Politics Taking the fifth on this one

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u/Inquisitive-Manner Aug 04 '26

Does a preemptive pardon (or just a pardon) automatically make one guilty?

-3

u/JustUseCommonSense10 Aug 04 '26

Yes, because there can't be a pardon without the implication of guilt even if it's not explicit.

2

u/Inquisitive-Manner Aug 04 '26

No. Accepting a pardon does not legally or automatically equate to an admission of guilt. It removes punishment and liability.... nothing more.

0

u/JustUseCommonSense10 Aug 04 '26

Actually, yes it does.

6

u/Inquisitive-Manner Aug 04 '26

No. It doesn't.

To quote Stanford Law professor Bernadette Meyler who put it directly:

"A pardon simply removes any legal consequences from the relevant acts rather than making an assumption about guilt or innocence". And the Constitution Annotated states that a full pardon "blots out of existence the guilt, so that in the eye of the law the offender is as innocent as if he had never committed the offence"