US judge dismisses January 6 case against Proud Boys after Trump order

A United States national tribunal has dismissed the seditious conspiracy cases against 4 members of the Proud Boys, the far-right radical progressive successful the onslaught connected the US Capitol connected January 6, 2021.

On Friday, Judge Timothy J Kelly, an appointee of President Donald Trump, granted the government’s question to disregard the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning it cannot beryllium revived successful future.

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But Kelly made it wide that the defendants — Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola — had been “convicted of superior offences”.

He wrote successful his seven-page ruling that his determination was yet rooted successful the separation of authorities powers, not successful the merits of the case.

“As the Court has said galore times, the onslaught connected the Capitol connected January 6, 2021 was a perilous event. It was an onslaught connected people, including constabulary officers, galore of whom were injured,” Kelly wrote.

“It was an onslaught connected the Constitution’s mechanics to facilitate the peaceful transportation of powerfulness from 1 president to the next,” helium added.

Inside the January 6 riot

Friday’s ruling was yet different milestone successful Trump’s efforts to extremity the prosecution of January 6 rioters.

The onslaught connected the Capitol came soon aft Trump mislaid his bid for re-election successful 2020 to Democrat Joe Biden. But successful the aftermath of his loss, Trump dispersed mendacious claims that the predetermination had been rigged.

January 6, 2021, was the time Congress was scheduled to certify the Electoral College votes, confirming Trump’s defeat.

His vice president astatine the time, Mike Pence, held a ceremonial relation overseeing the certification that day. But down the scenes, Trump reportedly pressured Pence to cull the results of the election.

At midday, Trump held a “Save America” rally successful beforehand of the White House, repeating to his supporters that helium had won “by a landslide”.

“If Mike Pence does the close thing, we triumph the election,” Trump said astatine 1 point. At another, helium said, “If you don’t combat similar hell, you’re not going to person a state anymore.”

Afterwards, immoderate of his supporters marched to the Capitol and broke into the building, attacking constabulary officers and causing millions of dollars worthy of damage. Participants signalled their purpose was to halt the ballot certification, with immoderate chanting, “Hang Mike Pence.”

The onslaught proved to beryllium deadly. One rioter was changeable by constabulary arsenic she climbed done a breached model to participate the House Speaker’s Lobby. An serviceman died from a changeable the pursuing time aft being beaten. Others died by termination aft the attack. Members of Congress had to beryllium led to safety.

Under the Biden administration, the Department of Justice opened transgression cases against astir 1,600 radical involved.

But Trump has agelong defended the rioters and called their prosecution a “national injustice”.

Trump himself faced 2 transgression indictments — 1 astatine authorities level, the different national — implicit his alleged attempts to subvert the predetermination results, though the charges were dropped upon his re-election successful 2024.

Unravelling the prosecutions

Calling the January 6 prosecutions an illustration of authorities “weaponisation”, Trump had campaigned during the 2024 contention connected a committedness to pardon the rioters.

He followed done with that pledge connected the archetypal day of his 2nd term. On January 20, 2025, Trump signed an enforcement bid granting “a full, implicit and unconditional pardon” to astir of the defendants progressive successful the Capitol attack.

Trump besides commuted the sentences of 14 people, including Nordean, Biggs, Rehl and Pezzola. Under his authority, the Department of Justice besides proceeded to question the dismissal of ongoing January 6 cases.

Judge Kelly cited that bid of events successful Friday’s ruling, though helium appeared to explicit a measurement of scepticism.

“No 1 should mistake the Court’s granting of the Government’s question for its statement with those decisions,” Kelly wrote.

In May 2023, a assemblage successful Washington, DC, recovered Nordean, Biggs and Rehl guilty of charges including seditious conspiracy, alongside Proud Boys person Enrique Tarrio.

Pezzola, meanwhile, was recovered not blameworthy of seditious conspiracy, but helium was convicted of respective felonies, including assaulting a constabulary officer. At sentencing, the 4 men received situation presumption ranging from 10 to 18 years, with Pezzola receiving the lightest condemnation of the group.

But successful weighing the aboriginal of the lawsuit against the 4 men, Judge Kelly explained that it was “hard to see” immoderate different people guardant different than dismissal.

The tribunal system, Kelly explained, cannot “compel” the enforcement subdivision to prosecute prosecutions. Trump’s enforcement bid had besides required the Department of Justice to question the case’s dismissal.

“The Court volition assistance the question due to the fact that determination are nary grounds for it to withhold permission for the Government to disregard the lawsuit with prejudice,” Kelly concluded.

But helium ended his determination with a connection of informing astir protecting the aboriginal of American ideology from further attacks.

“Moving forward, if this Nation’s experimentation successful self-government is to past different 250 years, the American radical — nary substance their partisan preferences — volition person to enactment unneurotic to preserve, support and support that occurrence done our law framework,” Kelly wrote.