Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States limiting the pardon power of the President.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This joint resolution proposes a constitutional limit on the pardon power. It would bar pardons and reprieves for the President, close relatives, current or former members of the President's administration, campaign staff, and certain matters connected to contempt of Congress or congressional testimony. Congress would have enforcement authority. The purpose is to prevent self-protection and loyalty-based pardons that undermine accountability.
Who Benefits and How
Congressional oversight committees benefit because the amendment protects investigations from pardon-based obstruction. Federal prosecutors benefit from less risk that covered defendants receive loyalty or self-protective pardons. Voters seeking executive accountability benefit from constitutional limits on the pardon power. Witnesses in congressional investigations benefit if contempt-related accountability cannot be erased by covered pardons.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Presidents lose pardon authority over themselves, close relatives, administration officials, campaign staff, and covered contempt matters. Presidential family members face higher criminal exposure if they cannot receive covered pardons. Administration officials and campaign staff lose a potential pardon safety valve. Courts must adjudicate disputes over whether a pardon falls within the amendment's covered categories.
Key Provisions
- Proposes constitutional limits on presidential pardons and reprieves.
- Bars covered pardons for self, close relatives, administration officials, campaign staff, and certain contempt matters.
- Authorizes Congress to enforce the amendment by legislation.
- Requires state ratification before the pardon limits bind future Presidents.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Proposes a constitutional amendment limiting presidential pardons and reprieves for the President, close relatives, administration officials, campaign staff, and certain contempt-related matters.
Key Policy Areas
Constitutional Amendment, Executive Power, Criminal Justice
Primary Purpose
Proposes a constitutional amendment limiting presidential pardons and reprieves for the President, close relatives, administration officials, campaign staff, and certain contempt-related matters.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Congressional oversight committees
- Federal prosecutors
- Voters seeking executive accountability
- Congressional witnesses
Identified Costs
- Presidents
- Presidential family members
- Administration officials
- Campaign staff
- Courts
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Congressional oversight committees, Presidents
Positive-direction: Congressional oversight committees
Negative-direction: Presidents
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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