Judge dismisses January seditious case, criticises justice department

A federal judge decried efforts to rewrite the history of the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol as he reluctantly dismissed the seditious conspiracy case against members of the far-right Oath Keepers extremist group at the Trump administration’s request.

The move Tuesday closes the book on the January 6 cases that were wiped out with Republican President Donald Trump’s sweeping pardons and commutations last year, freeing from prison people convicted of violent of assaults on police and other crimes.

The Department of Justice in April acted to vacate the convictions of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and others in the seditious conspiracy case who had their sentences commuted but did not receive pardons. US District Judge Amit Mehta, who oversaw the Oath Keepers’ trials, criticised the department’s move, writing in his ruling that the Government “asks to absolve these Defendants of crimes against the United States itself.” But Mehta wrote that he had no choice but to grant the administration’s request.