seamusTX wrote:The power of the president of the United States to issue pardons was in the constitution from day 1. Many colonial governors had pardon power before the colonies were states. All state governors have it now.
Texas governors had pretty much the same broad power until a few governors back when it was used or abused for political or ideological reasons. That's why the power of the Texas governor became so much more limited.
This amendment is strictly about a very specific set of circumstances where the governor may issue a pardon.
If you don't like the concept of pardons, you basically don't like an element of common law that has been in place for centuries.
I might also remind people that before the 1960s, a convicted felon who completed has sentence typically had full restoration of his rights. He could vote, run for office, join the military, own firearms of course, or hold any job if he could convince the employer to hire him.
The rights of a convicted felon or even some people convicted of misdemeanors are much more limited now, and the record of a conviction is much easier to obtain. This makes the justice of a pardon much more important for someone who deserves a pardon.
- Jim
Thanks for posting this, JIM. Since the hired clown botched the liquor referendum here in Pleasantville, I've not been real interested in this election. Tomorrow is the last day of early voting and we're out of town next week. I'm voting for #1, how should I vote for the others?