Tina Peters Asks Colorado Appeals Court to Recognize Trump’s Pardon

Colorado officials say the pardon is invalid because Peters was convicted under state law and the president may grant pardons only for federal offenses.

Mesa County, Colo., clerk Tina Peters at a rally in Denver, Colo., on April 5, 2022. David Zalubowski/AP Photo

Attorneys for Tina Peters, a former Colorado county clerk convicted of state-level election interference, are asking a Colorado court to free her after President Donald Trump pardoned her.

In a motion filed Dec. 23, Peters’s lawyers said the Colorado Court of Appeals no longer has jurisdiction, or authority, over her case because Trump pardoned her on Dec. 5. They asked the court to release her from state prison based on the federal pardon.