Biden's end-of-term clemency, from commuted death sentences to the autopen fight

Gone quiet · last story Oct 28, 2025

What this arc covers

Joe Biden's use of clemency as his term ended: his pardons for veterans convicted under the military's former ban on gay sex, his commutation of about 1,500 sentences in one day, his commutation of 37 federal death sentences, his record final round and his commutation for Leonard Peltier, and the Republican claim that pardons signed by autopen are void.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Earliest story we hold Jun 26, 2024 · 14 stories · 151 independent sources (counted once each) · 489 days

Part ofJoe BidenHunter BidenFederal Bureau of InvestigationDonald TrumpScrantonUnited States Department of JusticeVirginiaJosh Shapiro

Part of Biden's pardons

  1. Hunter Biden's gun and tax cases and his father's pardonJan 11, 2024 – Aug 8, 2026
  2. Biden's end-of-term clemency, from commuted death sentences to the autopen fightThis arcJun 26, 2024 – Oct 28, 2025
  3. Anthony Fauci's pardon from Biden and the Senate inquiry into COVID's originsDec 3, 2024 – Sep 23, 2026

Where it standsnewest first · each bar runs left to right by leaning

Oct 282025GOP-led Oversight Committee says Biden pardons signed by autopen are ‘void’ in final report6 articles · 6 independent sources
0 left, 1 center, 3 right
Oct 282025Republicans send Biden autopen report to the Justice Department, urging further investigation12 articles · 7 independent sources
0 left, 2 center, 0 right
Jul 142025Biden chief of staff reportedly gave approval for autopen pardons on final day in office7 articles · 6 independent sources
0 left, 0 center, 6 right

Key momentsthe most covered; every story is below

  1. Jun 26 – 27, 2024Biden pardons potentially thousands of ex-service members convicted under now-repealed gay sex ban77 articles · 50 independent sources
  2. Dec 12 – 13, 2024Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency100 articles · 69 independent sources
  3. Dec 23 – 25, 2024Biden commutes 37 death sentences ahead of Trump’s plan to resume federal executions163 articles · 81 independent sources
  4. Jan 17, 2025Biden sets record for most pardons and commutations with new round of clemency for nonviolent drug offenders67 articles · 51 independent sources
  5. Mar 17 – 19, 2025Can Trump Actually Void Biden's Pardons Due To Reported Use Of Autopen?71 articles · 44 independent sources

Who covered it, over timeindependent sources per week, by side

Jun 2024Sep 2024Jan 2025Apr 2025Jul 2025Oct 2025

LeftCenterRight

Point at or tap a week to see its count by side.

Every week as a table
Week ofLeftCenterRightArticles
Jun 24, 20241313775
Dec 9, 2024131914107
Dec 23, 2024202513171
Jan 13, 2025615978
Jan 20, 2025111713116
Feb 17, 202547227
Mar 17, 20259131369
Jul 14, 20250067
Oct 27, 202503317

Stories before June 28, 2026 come from archived pages, so who covered them is limited to the outlets we recovered for that period.

34% left · 46% center · 20% right of 151 independent sources among the outlets we track, across 14 stories.

Every storyoldest first

  1. June 2024

    Jun 26– 27Biden pardons potentially thousands of ex-service members convicted under now-repealed gay sex ban77 articles · 50 independent sources
    13 left, 13 center, 7 right

  2. December 2024

    Dec 12– 13Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency100 articles · 69 independent sources
    11 left, 17 center, 11 right
  3. Dec 13– 14Biden's commutation in 'kids for cash' scandal angers some Pennsylvania families11 articles · 11 independent sources
    2 left, 3 center, 5 right
  4. Dec 23– 24Relief, defiance, anger: Families and advocates react to Biden's death row commutations10 articles · 9 independent sources
    1 left, 2 center, 1 right
  5. Dec 23– 25Biden commutes 37 death sentences ahead of Trump’s plan to resume federal executions163 articles · 81 independent sources
    19 left, 24 center, 13 right

  6. January 2025

  7. Jan 18– 20Biden issues pre-emptive pardons for members of his family in one of his final acts as president77 articles · 40 independent sources
    6 left, 13 center, 11 right
  8. Jan 19Biden pardons Virginia House Speaker Don Scott, Black nationalist Marcus Garvey7 articles · 6 independent sources
    1 left, 3 center, 0 right
  9. Jan 20– 21Biden commutes sentence for Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, convicted in killing of FBI agents47 articles · 42 independent sources
    6 left, 6 center, 6 right

  10. February 2025

  11. March 2025

    Mar 17– 19Can Trump Actually Void Biden's Pardons Due To Reported Use Of Autopen?71 articles · 44 independent sources
    9 left, 13 center, 13 right

  12. July 2025

    Jul 14Biden chief of staff reportedly gave approval for autopen pardons on final day in office7 articles · 6 independent sources
    0 left, 0 center, 6 right

  13. October 2025

    Oct 28GOP-led Oversight Committee says Biden pardons signed by autopen are ‘void’ in final report6 articles · 6 independent sources
    0 left, 1 center, 3 right
  14. Oct 28Republicans send Biden autopen report to the Justice Department, urging further investigation12 articles · 7 independent sources
    0 left, 2 center, 0 right