--- title: Petition To Pardon Avery And Dassey Now Requires Response From White House | TIME description: A petition to pardon Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey, who both appear in Netflix’s “Making a Murderer,” has surpassed the 100,000 signatures needed for the White House to respond. canonical: https://time.com/video/vlYrbH3O/ og:title: Petition To Pardon Avery And Dassey Now Requires Response From White House og:description: A petition to pardon Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey, who both appear in Netflix’s “Making a Murderer,” has surpassed the 100,000 signatures needed for the White House to respond. og:url: https://time.com/video/vlYrbH3O/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/vlYrbH3O/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Petition To Pardon Avery And Dassey Now Requires Response From White House twitter:description: A petition to pardon Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey, who both appear in Netflix’s “Making a Murderer,” has surpassed the 100,000 signatures needed for the White House to respond. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/vlYrbH3O/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Petition To Pardon Avery And Dassey Now Requires Response From White House > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ad2b055b-b163-4c60-a89a-6eb5283f2473&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Twice a week | time.com/newsletters, September 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ad2b055b-b163-4c60-a89a-6eb5283f2473&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=ad2b055b-b163-4c60-a89a-6eb5283f2473&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ad2b055b-b163-4c60-a89a-6eb5283f2473&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Petition To Pardon Avery And Dassey Now Requires Response From White House [Watch (HLS stream): Petition To Pardon Avery And Dassey Now Requires Response From White House](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/vlYrbH3O.m3u8) (1:02)  _Published 2016-01-06. A petition to pardon Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey, who both appear in Netflix’s “Making a Murderer,” has surpassed the 100,000 signatures needed for the White House to respond._ --- Jul 27, 2023 7:24 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Pardon Turkeys Arrive at the White House](/video/ZsP0lxCC/) ### Pardon Turkeys Arrive at the White House [We Know Less About the First Thanksgiving Than You Probably Think](/video/2PSwDeLy/) ### We Know Less About the First Thanksgiving Than You Probably Think ['Making A Murderer' Viewers Sign Petitions to Pardon Steven Avery](/video/NQYFZ0FE/) ### 'Making A Murderer' Viewers Sign Petitions to Pardon Steven Avery --- ## Transcript A petition to pardon Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey, who both appear in Netflix's Making a Murderer, has surpassed the 100, 000 signatures needed for the White House to respond. But since Avery and Dassey were charged on the state level, the only person who can pardon them is the governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker. And it doesn't look like that pardon is going to happen. Though he admits he hasn't seen the series, the governor said, Just because a documentary on TV says something doesn't mean that's actually what the evidence shows. Avery is spending life in prison after he was convicted of murdering a woman in 2005 Wisconsin, the Netflix documentary series released December 18th, explores how he was convicted. Avery had previously been convicted of sexually assaulting another woman but was released almost 20 years later, in 2003, after DNA evidence exonerated him. The ten part series focuses on shortcomings and the US justice system. Something that apparently resonated with thousands of viewers. Petitions from change. org and the White House are gaining signatures requesting presidential response. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Petition To Pardon Avery And Dassey Now Requires Response From White House","description":"A petition to pardon Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey, who both appear in Netflix’s “Making a Murderer,” has surpassed the 100,000 signatures needed for the White House to respond.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/vlYrbH3O/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-01-06T20:03:51.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/vlYrbH3O.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/video/vlYrbH3O/","duration":"PT1M2S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/video/vlYrbH3O/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}} ```