S.Con.Res. 16: A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the President of the United States should exercise his constitutional authority to pardon posthumously John Arthur "Jack" Johnson for the racially motivated conviction in 1913 that diminished the athletic, cultural, and historic significance of Jack Johnson and unduly tarnished his reputation.

S.Con.Res. 16: A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the President of the United States should exercise his constitutional authority to pardon posthumously John Arthur "Jack" Johnson for the racially motivated conviction in 1913 that diminished the athletic, cultural, and historic significance of Jack Johnson and unduly tarnished his reputation.

111th Congress · introduced 2009-04-01 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S4196-4197)

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2009-04-01 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. McCain, John [R-AZ] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S4196-4197) Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the President of the United States should exercise his constitutional authority to pardon posthumously John Arthur "Jack" Johnson for the racially motivated conviction in 1913 that diminished the athletic, cultural, and historic significance of Jack Johnson and unduly tarnished his reputation.

Plain summary

Calls for the President to grant a pardon, posthumously, to Jack Johnson (the first African-American professional boxer to hold the title of Heavyweight Champion of the World) to expunge from the annals of American criminal justice a racially motivated abuse of the federal government's prosecutorial authority and to recognize his athletic and cultural contributions to society.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

A Yea supports adopting this resolution.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the President of the United States should exercise his constitutional authority to pardon posthumously John Arthur "Jack" Johnson for the racially motivated conviction in 1913 that diminished the athletic, cultural, and historic significance of Jack Johnson and unduly tarnished his reputation.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. McCain, John [R-AZ] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Resolution: A formal statement or decision by a legislative body. Simple resolutions often only express an opinion or set rules for one chamber; they do not become law.
Roll-call vote: A vote where each member's position is recorded by name, so the public can see how every member voted. "Yea" means yes, "Nay" means no, "Present" means the member was there but did not take a side.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-111sconres16.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/111/sconres>

Record fed-us-cong111-sconres16 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111