# Plain Language Summary: Presidential Immunity and Pardon Amendment

This proposed constitutional amendment would eliminate a legal protection that currently shields government officials—including the President—from criminal prosecution when they claim their actions were part of their official duties. Right now, if a president or other official argues that something they did was within their constitutional authority or job responsibilities, courts sometimes dismiss criminal charges based on that "official immunity" defense. This amendment would say that defense no longer works. No matter what job someone held or what authority they claim to have had, they could still be prosecuted for crimes.

The amendment also adds a second major restriction: it would prevent the President from pardoning themselves. Currently, presidents have broad power to forgive federal crimes through pardons, and legal scholars have debated whether a president could pardon themselves. This amendment would make it crystal clear that self-pardons are not allowed. A president could still pardon other people, but not themselves.

In practical terms, this means a sitting or former president could face criminal charges for actions taken while in office, and they couldn't use the excuse that "I was just doing my job as president" to get those charges dismissed. They also couldn't escape conviction by issuing themselves a pardon. This is a significant change because presidential immunity has been a real legal protection throughout American history. The amendment would need to be approved by two-thirds of both the House and Senate, then ratified by three-fourths of the states to become part of the Constitution.

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States providing that there is no immunity from criminal prosecution for an act on the grounds that such act was within the constitutional authority or official duties of an individual, and providing that the President may not grant a pardon to himself or herself.