Re:Posthumously pardon Aaron Swartz
by rprasad on Saturday January 12, 2013 @07:04PM
(#5049377)
That Slate article doesn't say what you think it says.
A pre-emptive pardon can only be issued for someone in danger of being convicted of a crime; it is essentially a grant of immunity. A dead defendant who was merely charged with a crime can never be convicted of the crime, so a dead defendant cannot be pre-emptively pardoned.
A pre-emptive pardon can only be issued for someone in danger of being convicted of a crime; it is essentially a grant of immunity. A dead defendant who was merely charged with a crime can never be convicted of the crime, so a dead defendant cannot be pre-emptively pardoned.