USA24 December, 20252 min read
Tina Peters Asks Colorado Appeals Court to Recognize Trump's Pardon and Order Her Immediate Release
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Attorneys filed motion claiming Trump's pardon removes appeals court jurisdiction and demanding her immediate release Serving nine-year sentence for state election-interference convictions
5 outlets told this the same way.
Peters' pardon appeal
Former Mesa County elections clerk Tina Peters asked the Colorado Court of Appeals to recognize President Donald Trump’s Dec. 5 pardon and to order her immediate release, arguing the pardon ends the court’s jurisdiction over her state convictions.
The Associated Press reported that her lawyers asked the Colorado Court of Appeals to recognize the Dec. 5 pardon as ending the court’s jurisdiction and to order her released.
The Telluride Times likewise wrote that Peters asked the state appeals court to recognize Trump’s Dec. 5 pardon of her state convictions and to release her from prison.
NTD News summarized the filing by saying attorneys asked a Colorado court to free her after President Trump issued the pardon.
Validity of presidential pardon
Peters’ lawyers acknowledged the constitutional difficulty that presidential pardons generally apply to federal offenses, not state crimes, but urged the appeals court to treat President Trump’s pardon as valid and to act quickly. The AP reported her lawyers cited George Washington’s 1795 pardons during the Whiskey Rebellion and argued the pardon should nevertheless be treated as valid while asking for a speedy decision.
The Telluride Times said the lawyers argued the pardon removes the court's jurisdiction and sought formal acknowledgement that a federal pardon applies to state-level convictions. NTD News framed the dispute as centered on whether a presidential pardon can nullify a state conviction and explained the constitutional limits.
Peters' conviction background
The background to Peters' motion is her August 2024 conviction on state election-related charges tied to a data breach, which various outlets report differently in detail. AP describes Peters as convicted on state charges for orchestrating a data breach tied to false 2020 voting-machine fraud claims.
“Former Colorado elections clerk Tina Peters asked the state appeals court to recognize President Donald Trump's Dec. 5 pardon of her state convictions and to release her from prison.”
NTD News reports she was convicted in August 2024 of charges including allowing unauthorized access to voting machines, was sentenced to nine years, and is jailed at La Vista Correctional Facility in Pueblo. The Telluride Times reiterates that she is the former Colorado elections clerk seeking the appeals court's recognition of the pardon and release.
Appeal schedule and responses
The appeals court has set a near-term schedule for addressing the dispute: AP reports the court is scheduled to hear arguments in her appeal on Jan. 14 and has allowed the state attorney general's office to file a response by Jan. 8.
NTD News likewise reports the appeals court has ordered Attorney General Phil Weiser to respond to Peters's motion by January.
The Telluride Times does not include scheduling details in its snippet but confirms the same underlying motion seeking formal recognition and release.
Media framing of pardon filings
Sources diverge in political framing and emphasis beyond the legal mechanics. NTD News highlights President Trump calling Peters a 'patriot' and quoting his criticism that Democrats prosecute opponents.
“The request seeks formal acknowledgement that the federal pardon applies to her state-level convictions.”
The Associated Press focuses on the legal argument and precedent, highlighting lawyers' citation of George Washington's 1795 pardons and their concession about limits on presidential pardon power. The Telluride Times concentrates on the legal filing, framing it as seeking formal acknowledgment that a federal pardon applies to state convictions.