Which presidential pardons have been issued using an autopen and on what dates?
Executive summary
There is no single, public list in these sources that itemizes every presidential pardon signed by autopen with dates; reporting instead documents disputes over whether some pardons and other documents were autopen-signed, and confirms presidents from Jefferson through Biden have used autopens or mechanized signature devices [1] [2]. Legal experts and memos cited in the coverage say use of an autopen does not, by itself, invalidate a pardon; the key legal question is presidential intent, not the physical method of signing [3] [4] [5].
1. What the record in available reporting actually shows
Available coverage documents episodes and allegations—Congressional Oversight and conservative reports claiming Biden used the autopen on many documents late in his term (including pardons), and later scrutiny of identical signatures on Trump-era published pardons—but none of the provided sources supply a comprehensive, date-by-date list of specific pardons that were signed by autopen [6] [7] [3]. News outlets flag particular clusters of clemency actions (for example, large numbers of commutations and pardons issued in late 2024–January 2025), but do not pair each named clemency with a confirmed autopen timestamp in these excerpts [8] [7].
2. Which presidents have used autopens, per the sources
Reporting and historical write-ups agree that autopens or mechanized signature devices have been used by multiple presidents across eras—Thomas Jefferson (an 1800s precursor), Harry Truman for routine tasks, John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, and more recent presidents including Trump and Biden have used autopens at times [2] [1] [3]. Sources note routine use for correspondence, bills and other documents; specific use for pardons has precedent in modern administrations, but detailed item-level confirmation is not provided here [1] [3].
3. The recent controversy: competing narratives
Republican investigators and conservative groups produced reports alleging misuse of the autopen by the Biden White House and raised questions about documentation and authorization for some pardons and other executive actions [6]. The Trump administration and allied outlets seized on identical-looking signatures posted by DOJ on recently uploaded pardons to question whether autopen or digital reproduction had been used and to cast doubt on the legitimacy of those documents [3] [7]. Conversely, legal scholars and prior Office of Legal Counsel analysis argue the practice is lawful and that autopen use does not negate a clemency’s validity [5] [4].
4. The legal reality cited by experts and memos
Legal commentary in these sources is unequivocal about the controlling legal test: pardons rest on the President’s intent to grant clemency, and the Constitution does not mandate a handwritten signature or forbid use of a mechanical signature. A 2005 Office of Legal Counsel analysis and contemporary scholars state that autopen use is consistent with Article I and Article II practices and does not by itself render a pardon void [5] [4] [3]. PBS’s reporting quotes scholars who stress intent over the signature method [3].
5. What’s documented about specific recent pardons
The sources note clusters of clemency actions—large commutation and pardon packages by Biden around late 2024–January 2025 and by Trump in early 2025—and identify high-profile named beneficiaries in general lists (for example, Mark Milley, Anthony Fauci, and others mentioned in compilations of Biden’s clemency actions), but do not confirm in these excerpts which of those specific instruments were autopen-signed on which exact dates [8] [5]. The Oversight Committee report asserts irregularities and names near-term pardons involving Biden family members as part of its concerns, but the report excerpts here do not provide a date-by-date autopen signature ledger [6].
6. Limitations, open questions and where to look next
Available sources do not include a definitive, documented catalog of pardons with affirmative confirmation “signed by autopen” plus dates; they instead present allegations, institutional reports, DOJ posting anomalies and legal analysis [6] [7] [3]. To produce the exact list you asked for would require access to primary pardon documents, DOJ custodial records or an official admissions log of autopen use—none of which are supplied in the current reporting excerpts (not found in current reporting). For authoritative confirmation, consult DOJ pardons files, the National Archives, or the original Oversight Committee report appendices cited in mainstream coverage [6] [3].
Summary judgment: multiple presidents have used autopens; recent reporting raises disputes about particular pardons and documentation; legal experts cited across these sources say autopen use does not, by itself, make a pardon invalid [2] [3] [4] [5].