Jimmy Carter says he would consider pardoning Edward Snowden

[ProSense]

24. You're right

"They were not symbolic at all."

They weren't symbolic. The pardons applied to certain persons who were convicted of draft-evasion.

President Carter, by Proclamation of January 21, 1977, pardoned certain persons who, during the Vietnam War era, violated the Military Selective Service Act by draft-evasion acts or omissions committed between August 4, 1964 and March 28, 1973. If you believe your conviction is covered by President Carter’s Proclamation and you can provide the required documentation from your criminal case that will enable us to verify that you are covered by the Proclamation, you may obtain an individual certificate of pardon evidencing the fact that this Pardon Proclamation applies to you. The certificate will be issued only if you were convicted of such an offense. If you were arrested for and/or charged with a Military Selective Service Act violation for an offense committed during the relevant time period, but your prosecution ended in some fashion other than conviction (such as dismissal of charges or an acquittal), you are not eligible to seek a certificate of pardon.

Furthermore, President Carter’s Pardon Proclamation applies only to violations of the Military Selective Service Act by civilians. If you were a member of the armed forces during the relevant period, and you were convicted for a violation of military law, your offense does not qualify for treatment under the Proclamation. A person wishing to seek a presidential pardon for a military conviction may apply for a pardon from the current President under the regular pardon procedure. In addition, the Carter Proclamation does not apply to Military Selective Service Act violations involving force or violence, or to offenses committed by agents, officers, or employees of the Military Selective Service system in connection with duties or responsibilities arising out of their employment. Consequently, if you were employed by the Military Selective Service system and your offense involved your official duties, or if your offense involved force or violence, your conviction was not pardoned by the Proclamation.

- more -

http://www.justice.gov/pardon/carter_instructions.htm