Judicial Watch sues DOJ for Hunter Biden pardon records

"The Hunter Biden pardon for undefined crimes going back a decade is invalid on its face," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said

By Natalia Mittelstadt

Published: July 14, 2025 2:14pm

Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department for records regarding former President Biden's pardon for his son Hunter Biden.

The watchdog group announced the lawsuit Monday, after it was filed on July 3 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

In December, Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon to his son for any federal offenses “which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.”

The DOJ failed to respond to Judicial Watch's Freedom of Information Act request from Dec. 2, 2025, which asked for "Records and communications of the Offices of the Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General, and/or Associate Attorney General or their designated representatives, about the pardoning of Robert Hunter Biden by his father, President Joe Biden."

The pardon includes the time Hunter Biden served on the board of directors of Ukrainian energy firm Burisma.

“The Hunter Biden pardon for undefined crimes going back a decade is invalid on its face. The Trump Justice Department should immediately release any and all records about the Biden pardon scandal,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement.