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Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jan 9, 2025
This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment limiting the pardon power of the President.
The amendment prohibits the President from granting a pardon or reprieve to himself or herself, to relatives or members of the administration, to paid campaign employees, to a person or entity for an offense motivated by an interest of any of those people, or to a person or entity for an offense directed by or coordinated with the President.
The amendment also invalidates pardons issued for a corrupt purpose.
People & committees
Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] · D–TN
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jan 21, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-01-09 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This resolution proposes a constitutional amendment restricting presidential pardons and reprieves, which temporarily delay punishment. It would prohibit relief for presidents themselves and specified people connected to them, and for certain offenses involving their interests or participation. Pardons issued for a corrupt purpose would be invalid. These changes would become part of the Constitution only upon ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures.
The President shall not have the power to grant pardons and reprieves to— (1) the President’s self; (2) any person, up to a third degree relation, of the President, or a spouse thereof; (3) any current or former member of the President’s administration; (4) any person who worked on the President’s presidential campaign as a paid employee; (5) any person or entity for an offense that was motivated by a direct and significant personal or pecuniary interest of any of the foregoing persons; or (6) any person or entity for an offense that was at the direction of, or in coordination with, the President.
Any pardon issued for a corrupt purpose shall be invalid.
which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States
This is a proposed constitutional amendment, rather than an ordinary statute. Its stated ratification condition requires approval by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states.
That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States
The amendment would prohibit presidents from granting themselves pardons or reprieves.
The President shall not have the power to grant pardons and reprieves to— (1) the President’s self;
The prohibition would also cover relatives up to the third degree and spouses covered by the family clause. The text does not define how to count those degrees or clarify the scope of its phrase “a spouse thereof.”
The President shall not have the power to grant pardons and reprieves to—
(2) any person, up to a third degree relation, of the President, or a spouse thereof;
Presidents could not grant pardons or reprieves to current or former members of their administration, or to anyone who worked as a paid employee on their presidential campaign.
The President shall not have the power to grant pardons and reprieves to—
(3) any current or former member of the President’s administration; (4) any person who worked on the President’s presidential campaign as a paid employee;
The amendment would prohibit pardons and reprieves for any person or entity for an offense motivated by a direct and significant personal or financial interest of the President or anyone in the preceding covered groups.
The President shall not have the power to grant pardons and reprieves to— (1) the President’s self; (2) any person, up to a third degree relation, of the President, or a spouse thereof; (3) any current or former member of the President’s administration; (4) any person who worked on the President’s presidential campaign as a paid employee; (5) any person or entity for an offense that was motivated by a direct and significant personal or pecuniary interest of any of the foregoing persons;
The amendment would prohibit pardons and reprieves for any person or entity for an offense directed by, or coordinated with, the President.
The President shall not have the power to grant pardons and reprieves to—
(6) any person or entity for an offense that was at the direction of, or in coordination with, the President.
A separate rule would invalidate any pardon issued for a corrupt purpose. That sentence expressly addresses pardons, without mentioning reprieves.
Any pardon issued for a corrupt purpose shall be invalid.
Congress would have authority to pass appropriate legislation enforcing the amendment. The provision grants that power without requiring Congress to enact a particular enforcement law.
The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated January 21, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on the Judiciary on January 9, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2026-01-21T09:05:16Z. 2025-01-09: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. 2025-01-09: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-01-09. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy rider was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow benefit, special exemption, or preferential treatment was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Jan 21, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI