Trump challenges validity of Biden's autopen-signed pardons

Former President Donald Trump has declared that pardons issued by his predecessor, President Joe Biden, are "void" due to their execution by autopen—a device that replicates signatures mechanically. Trump asserted on his social media platform, Truth Social, that Biden was unaware of these pardons, rendering them invalid.

The autopen, in use since the early nineteenth century, allows for the automatic signing of documents and has been employed by US presidents since Barack Obama used an autopen in 2011 to sign legislation extending the Patriot Act while he was abroad.

Legal experts contend that the use of an autopen does not invalidate presidential actions. Georgetown Law professor Victoria Nourse stated there is no legal basis for Trump's objections, emphasizing that the method of signing—whether by hand or autopen—holds no constitutional distinction.