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Limiting Presidential Pardon Power: New Rules Proposed

A proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution aims to restrict the President's ability to grant pardons to certain individuals. Citizens should be aware that if adopted, this change would prevent the President from pardoning themselves, family members, administration officials, or campaign staff, enhancing transparency and accountability.
Key points
The President would not be able to pardon themselves or family members (up to third-degree relation).
The ban on pardons would extend to current and former members of the President's administration and paid campaign employees.
Any pardon issued for a corrupt purpose would be invalid, aiming to prevent abuses of power.
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Status:
Expired
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Additional Information
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States limiting the pardon power of the President.
Print number: HJRES 4
Sponsor: Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9]
Process start date: 2021-01-04
System Note: Lustra is free, publicly auditable civic infrastructure, with full source code available on GitHub. You are reading sterilized legislative data, processed by our radical neutrality engine to strip political spin and retain factual mechanics. We process only official government data. Original documents remain the authoritative source, always verify them if you can.
Summarized by: gemini-2.5-flash-preview-05-20
Source data: api.congress.gov
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Summary & Status

Key Questions about Limiting Presidential Pardon Power: New Rules Proposed

A structured overview of the legislative process, official sources, status and civic context.

What is the official ID of this bill?

The official print number for this legislation is HJRES 4.

Which chamber initiated this legislation?

This legislation was initiated in the House of Representatives.

When did the legislative process begin?

The process officially started on 2021-01-04.

What are the main provisions?

Key points include:

  • The President would not be able to pardon themselves or family members (up to third-degree relation).
  • The ban on pardons would extend to current and former members of the President's administration and paid campaign employees.
  • Any pardon issued for a corrupt purpose would be invalid, aiming to prevent abuses of power.

What is the specific legal status?

The current status is Expired.

Where can I read the full text of this legislation?

The full official text is available at: View full text

Who is the primary sponsor?

The primary sponsor is Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9].

What is the latest detailed status?

The latest detailed status is: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.

Is this summary verified?

Yes. This content was analyzed by AI and verified by the Lustra Judge System on 2025-12-27.

Analysis and Potential Impact of HJRES 4

We don't know, that is up to you to decide. Summarizing raw data with AI is fundamentally different from predicting socio-economic outcomes. As of 2026, we believe impact assessment strictly requires a human in the loop to verify and judge. Review our public AI processing logs for full transparency, and use Lustra to track active legislation for instant status push notifications.

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