A respite is a delay in the imposition of sentence but in no way modifies a sentence or addresses questions of

due process Due process of law is application by state of all legal rules and principles pertaining to the case so all legal rights that are owed to the person are respected. Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects the individual pe ...

, guilt or innocence.

United States

The

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

power of the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

has been broadly interpreted to include a variety of specific powers. Among those powers are: pardons, conditional pardons, commutations of sentence, conditional commutations of sentence, remissions of fines and forfeitures, respites and amnesties. Historically, presidents have granted most respites for periods of 30 to 90 days and have renewed (extended) such delays when it seemed necessary. The most common public explanations for respites have been to: * delay executions (for a variety of reasons) * allow additional time to study

clemency A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

applications * await the outcome of an appeal * allow full executive review of a sentence affirmed in the appellate process While these have been the commonly stated reasons, the Constitution does not limit the circumstances or the length of time involved According to the Office of the Pardon Attorney (U.S.

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

), presidents have utilized respites to varying degrees although, as is the case with every other form of executive clemency, there has been something like a general decline since 1900. The Pardon Attorney has posted data for respites for some administrations. Most recently,

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

delayed the execution of Juan Garza in order that an ongoing study of bias in the federal death-penalty system might be completed."Media Spotlight Dims as Garza Put to Death," ''Houston Chronicle'', June 20, 2001

References

External links

"Respite for Libby?"
P.S. Ruckman, Jr., ''National Review'', June 14, 2007
Pardon Power Blog

"Bush Faces `No-Win' Pressures to Pardon Convicted Cheney Aide"
Edwin Chen, ''Bloomberg'', July 2, 2007 Clemency Legal terminology United States federal law {{US-gov-stub