Daily Talker: Celebrity Pardon

Robert Downey Jr. is getting a big Christmas present. The actor was pardoned for a nearly 20-year-old felony drug conviction that sent him to jail for almost a year. California's Governor Jerry Brown pardoned Downey and 90 other people for criminal convictions after he says they demonstrated that they had rehabilitated themselves. The pardon does not erase records of a conviction, but it does restore the person's voting rights. According to the governor's website, it's a public proclamation that the person has remained out of trouble and demonstrated "exemplary behavior."

Downey isn't the only celebrity seeking a pardon. Dorchester native Mark Wahlberg is still waiting to hear if he will be pardoned for a 1988 assault case in Boston. What do you think? Should celebrities be pardoned? Does it make a difference?