Trump declines to pardon Lindsay Clancy after attorney's request following hung jury

President Donald Trump has declined to intervene in the case of Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three children, following a public pardon request from her attorney Kevin Reddington. Trump emphasized that the case is a state-level matter rather than a federal one, rendering it ineligible for a presidential pardon. The request followed a September 4, 2026, mistrial in Plymouth Superior Court, where an 11-1 deadlocked jury failed to reach a verdict on Clancy's postpartum psychosis defense.

Trump pardon request decline

• ▪President Donald Trump praised Lindsay Clancy's defense attorney Kevin Reddington, calling him a very good attorney on September 13, 2026
• ▪President Donald Trump declined to intervene or issue a pardon for Lindsay Clancy, stating on September 13, 2026, that the case is a state situation that must be worked out locally
• ▪President Donald Trump expressed sympathy regarding the deaths of Lindsay Clancy's three children, stating on September 13, 2026, that the case is a very sad situation with no winner
• ▪President Donald Trump previously stated that Lindsay Clancy did a horrible thing and would have to pay a price, predicting she would face another trial and end up in a mental institution or jail

Presidential pardon authority limits

• ▪Defense attorney Kevin Reddington acknowledged that President Donald Trump lacks the legal authority to pardon Lindsay Clancy but hoped executive branch interest could exert outside influence or clout
• ▪A presidential pardon applies only to federal crimes and cannot be granted for state-level offenses such as the murder charges faced by Lindsay Clancy in Massachusetts

Clancy mistrial outcome

• ▪The jury in the Lindsay Clancy trial was split 11 to 1, with 11 jurors favoring an acquittal on the grounds of lack of criminal responsibility due to insanity
• ▪The murder trial of Lindsay Clancy in Plymouth Superior Court ended in a mistrial on September 4, 2026, after the jury deadlocked and could not reach a verdict
• ▪Lindsay Clancy is accused of strangling her three children, Cora, Dawson, and Callan, in their Massachusetts home in January 2023, while her defense argues she suffered from severe postpartum psychosis

Reddington public pardon plea

• ▪Defense attorney Kevin Reddington publicly appealed to President Donald Trump for a pardon during an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America on September 8, 2026
• ▪Defense attorney Kevin Reddington reiterated his appeal for executive intervention during subsequent television appearances on CBS Boston and WBZ-TV

State versus federal jurisdiction

• ▪Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has not yet announced whether the state of Massachusetts plans to retry Lindsay Clancy following the mistrial
• ▪Defense attorney Kevin Reddington clarified that he hoped President Donald Trump would contact Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz to advocate for dropping or reducing the state charges

Debatable claims

• ▪Massachusetts prosecutors should retry Lindsay Clancy
• ▪Lindsay Clancy should be held criminally responsible for the deaths of her children