Yes

A presidential pardon excuses the punishments of a felony, but the crime isn’t automatically overturned or erased from one’s record.

Adam Johnson, photographed with Nancy Pelosi’s lectern during the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, announced he’s running for office in Manatee County.

He, along with nearly 1,600 others, were pardoned by President Trump in 2025. While his punishments were forgiven and civil rights were restored –– giving him the right to hold public office –– his conviction as a felon isn’t erased.

The legal interpretations of a presidential pardon have evolved over the years. In 1866, a court ruled that a pardon acts as if that person never committed the felony in the first place.

Carlesi v. New York (1914), however, stated that a pardon doesn’t erase the historical facts of a crime, while Nixon v. United States (1993) determined that a pardon sets aside punishment but doesn’t overturn a conviction.

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Sources

Cornell Law School –– Legal Effects of a Pardon

U.S. Report Carlesi v. New York

Justia Nixon v. United States

U.S. Department of Justice –– Presidential Pardon

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