TOP 10 REASONS YOU SHOULD HIRE A CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY.

Being accused of a crime can be one of the scariest things that happens in life. You may feel exposed and overpowered by the uncertainty, fear, and confusion. That is where a criminal defense attorney comes in, acting as your ray of hope in addition to your legal counsel. It can be quite intimidating to …

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WE HAVE MOVED TO A NEW LOCATION

It is with great pleasure that I write to inform you that we have opened our office doors in more comfortable surroundings. Our new address is 6210 Highland Place Way, Knoxville, TN 37919. Our phone number, email address, and fascilime number has not changed. While we downsize from a ten thousand open floorplan to a …

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A Legal Message Using a Sports Metaphor

Recently a good friend passed. He was from the Midwest and in his younger days was a doggone good baseball player. His love for baseball never left, but he reconciled his disappointment when he realized the courtroom had become his Yankee Stadium, and instead of pitching baseballs, he was pitching justice. My friend’s love of …

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Happy 4th Of July From The Law Office’s Of James A.H. Bell, P.C.

Two hundred forty-three years ago, a great nation declared its independence. I supply for your benefit a history lesson to help you celebrate the holiday of July 4th. On Friday, June 7, 1776, in Cartridge Hall in Philadelphia where the Second Continental Congress was in session, a tall slender figure arose to offer a resolution …

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A Primer on Pardons

Whether you believe this is the worst of times or this is the best of times under the current presidential administration, we would like to legally enlighten you on the subject of presidential pardons.  Pardons have been frequently discussed in the news, most recently after President Trump issued a pardon to controversial former Arizona Sherriff Joe Arpaio just before he was set to be sentenced in October. This is President Trump’s first pardon since taking office in January of 2017. Not surprisingly, Franklin D. Roosevelt holds the record for having granted the most pardons during his time in office, having granted 3,687 between 1933 and 1945. James Garfield and William H. Harrison are the only Presidents never to have issued a pardon, although both died early into their terms.

A pardon coming from the Executive Branch of the government, federal or state, is simply an “excuse me” to the recipient. It wipes all criminal transgressions from the board of criminal responsibility. The authority to grant a pardon is found in the federal constitutional or state constitutional language. It is said in the federal constitution that the President “shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.”  In some of our lifetimes, we can recall that President Gerald Ford bestowed a pardon upon President Nixon. It has been sought by many, but bestowed upon only a select few. It is legally considered an “act of grace”, exempting that person from any further punishment for the crimes committed.   In law, the recipient has the ability to reject a pardon.

There are two kinds of pardons: conditional and unconditional. A conditional pardon is one that requires an act to fulfil the pardon. The condition cannot be illegal, immoral, or impossible to perform. Once accepted, the pardon binds the person to all its conditions, limitations, and restrictions. The condition must be clear, specific, and written into the pardon.  Also, there don’t have to be any actual charges filed in order for someone to receive a pardon, as happened when President Ford pardoned President Nixon.

The Presidential pardons only apply to federal criminal law, and they are not applicable to civil, state, or local offenses. It would take a parallel pardon from a state governor to excuse those state or other offenses. A pardon “carries an imputation of guilt; acceptance a confession of it.” This comes from an opinion from the United States Supreme Court in 1915. This language flies in the face of the controversy every Thanksgiving where the President pardons the Thanksgiving turkey and saves its life. This kind of pardon is generally rationalized as a theatrical or symbolic pardon. We are uncertain of the crime the turkey committed.

For more information on the pardon process and its history, check out this informative podcast from NPR. 

Does attorney advertising keep the general public from knowing what the true ability of the lawyer?

There are numerous methods by which an individual or a prospective client can be referred to a law firm for legal representation.  Traditionally, referrals come from other lawyers in the area who personally know the legal abilities of those they are referring cases to.  Unfortunately, freedom of speech decisions from the United States Supreme Court …

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Law Offices Of James J.H. Bell
6210 Highland Place Way Knoxville, TN 37919

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