Electronic signatures are commonly used — but there are key exceptions

Published: March 17, 2025 at 2:48 p.m. ET

President Donald Trump raised eyebrows Monday by claiming that pardons issued by President Joe Biden are “invalid” because they were signed using an autopen, an electronic device that replicates a person’s signature.

While legal scholars were quick to dismiss the assertion, the controversy has sparked broader questions about electronic signatures and what kinds of documents can be signed using them.

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