Trump Can't Actually Pardon Lindsay Clancy

UPDATE Sep 9, 2026 1:30 AM CDT

While Lindsay Clancy's attorney has already asked President Trump to pardon the Massachusetts mother who says she killed her three children while suffering from postpartum psychosis, the POTUS does not actually have the power to do so, the New York Times reports. Clancy faces state, not federal, charges. But a spokesperson for Clancy's lawyer says his public plea, while directed at Trump, was actually "a statement to the country." The attorney also suggested Trump might be able to influence a state decision on whether to retry Clancy, CBS News reports.

Sep 8, 2026 8:44 AM CDT

A Massachusetts murder case that riveted the country has now prompted a public plea to President Trump. Kevin Reddington, attorney for Lindsay Clancy—the 36-year-old mother who admitted strangling her three children—went on Good Morning America on Tuesday to urge Trump to issue her a pardon following last week's mistrial, reports ABC News. "Mr. President, I would hope that you would consider this young lady, the type of person she is, what she's been through," Reddington said.

Trump on Friday called the case a "horrible tragedy," per the Washington Post, and said, "Look, she did a horrible, horrible thing. Can't be worse." The six-week trial centered on whether Clancy was criminally responsible for the murders, with her defense citing postpartum psychosis and prosecutors disputing that. Jurors said they were deadlocked multiple times before the mistrial was declared after nearly 40 hours of deliberation; prosecutors haven't yet said if they'll retry her.