Can a president pardon someone who has a murder conviction?

[maveric]

Are there limits to a pardon?

[rndmprsn]

morally and politically yes, but i dint think there are limits

constitutionally prescribed

[T Town Jake]

1. Only if the person in question...

...has been convicted of murder in a federal court. He has no pardon power when it comes to those convicted in state courts.

[MADem]

2. In those cases, he has to twist the guv's arm (if the guv is GOP) nt

[maveric]

3. Thank you T Town Jake!

I was wondering if bu$h could release someone like Henry Lee Lucas or Manson during his lame duck pardon period.

[Walt Starr]

4. There are no limits to presidential pardon

George W. bush could appear on stage with Karl Rove. Karl admits to the world on national television, "I outted Plame and I did so even knowing I was about to harm national security."

Karl walks. No arrest. No trial. No conviction. No jail time or potential of a death penalty. He just plain walks away.

[jhawk_tim]

6. Constitutional but highly unlikely

Let's not infer that Bush is going to do that or is capable of doing that.

Yes, you are correct that the above scenario could happen, but does anyone really think it would?

[Walt Starr]

7. A more likely scenario

Is one Paul Begala wrote about where Karl gets indicted and Bush pardons:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-begala/i-predict-bush-will-pard_b_5266.html

I Predict: Bush Will Pardon Rove

Arianna Huffington, Lawrence O'Donnell and others on this post have done a terrific job of staying on top of every new fact in the Plame-CIA leak case. I, however, want to go beyond the facts and engage in a little conjecture:

George W. Bush will pardon Karl Rove.

I know I'm getting WAY ahead of the facts, but this thing has the smell of a serious legal problem for the Bush Administration.

From the outside, Mr. Fitzgerald does not look like a prosecutor who sees wrongdoing but believes it falls short of criminal conduct, like, say, Joe DiGenova did when he investigated allegations that the Bush 41 Administration rummaged Bill Clinton's passport file.

<snip>

[rsdsharp]

5. Article II section 2 of the Constitution

the President "shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States except in Cases of Impeachment.