The discussion focused on the Supreme Court case Burdick v. United States, which dealt with a reporter refusing to testify before a grand jury and being pardoned by the President.
The key points were:
- The reporter, Burdick, refused to testify, citing the 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination. - The President then issued Burdick a pardon, but Burdick refused to accept it. - The Supreme Court ruled that a pardon must be accepted by the recipient, and Burdick could not be compelled to testify since he had rejected the pardon.
The discussion also covered the differences between executive pardons and legislative pardons, with legislative pardons being more automatic and not requiring acceptance by the recipient.
The group discussed potential implications of this case for recent political figures being pardoned and whether accepting a pardon implies admission of guilt