 Within a month, Nixon accepted a pardon, so his criminal exposure never got litigated. Jeffress says the Supreme Court ruling this week would have completely reshaped Nixon's legal predicament. Former White House counsel John Dean put it bluntly. Richard Nixon would have had a pass. Dean, who pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge and served prison time, spoke to reporters this week after the high court ruling on immunity. Virtually all of his Watergate-related conduct