Prof. Jill Hasday Quoted in Reuters Fact Check About Pardons Issued by Biden

Professor Jill Hasday, Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Centennial Professor in Law, was quoted in Reuters Fact Check about former President Joe Biden’s pardons to individuals who have had no formal charges brought against them. Some social media posts following the pardons said that a Judge Joseph Barron on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled the pardons that Biden granted were unconstitutional. In fact, here is no judge by that name on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and a review of the court’s website shows that no such decision was issued. It is believed the posts stemmed from a satirical Facebook page. Reiterating the legality of Biden’s pardons, Prof. Hasday said the president “has the constitutional power to pardon someone before that person has been indicted for any federal crime.” She added that former U.S. President Gerald Ford granted former U.S. President Richard Nixon “a full, free, and absolute pardon” even though Nixon was never formally indicted in connection with Watergate.