Federal judge dismisses January 6 case against Proud Boys at Trump administration's request

A federal judge on Friday dismissed the seditious conspiracy case against several members of the Proud Boys after the Justice Department, under President Donald Trump, requested the charges be dropped, ending one of the most significant prosecutions stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

US District Judge Timothy Kelly, who was appointed by Trump, said he had no legal authority to require the executive branch to continue the prosecution.

In his ruling, Kelly noted that Trump had made his views on the Jan. 6 cases clear and had already exercised his executive authority by commuting the defendants' sentences shortly after returning to office.

Although Trump pardoned more than 1,000 people convicted in connection with the Capitol attack, the convictions of Proud Boys members Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola initially remained in place.

In April, however, the Justice Department, led by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, asked the court to vacate their convictions.

The dismissal removes some of the most serious convictions resulting from the federal investigation into the Capitol attack.

In 2023, Nordean, Biggs and Rehl were convicted of seditious conspiracy and other offenses, while Pezzola was acquitted of seditious conspiracy but convicted on other Jan. 6-related charges.

Kelly wrote that the Trump administration had chosen to handle the case in much the same way as other Jan. 6 prosecutions, regardless of the seriousness of the alleged conduct or the fact that the case originated during Trump's first administration rather than under President Joe Biden.

He emphasized that the decision to end the prosecution rested solely with the executive branch and said the court's approval of the dismissal should not be interpreted as an endorsement of that decision.

Following the ruling, Rehl welcomed the outcome in a post on the US social media platform X, writing that the case was finally over and that he could move on from Jan. 6.

Former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio, who previously received a presidential pardon, also celebrated the decision on X, calling it a victory for the group.