{"id":2394507,"date":"2025-01-23T18:33:08","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T23:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dc-judges-bash-trumps-jan-6-pardons-using-evocative-rhetoric-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-01-23T18:34:07","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T23:34:07","slug":"dc-judges-bash-trumps-jan-6-pardons-using-evocative-rhetoric-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dc-judges-bash-trumps-jan-6-pardons-using-evocative-rhetoric-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"DC judges bash Trump\u2019s Jan. 6 pardons using evocative rhetoric &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdc-judges-bash-trumps-jan-6-pardons-using-evocative-rhetoric-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2394507&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article \u200bdiscusses recent criticisms\u200b from federal judges in Washington, D.C., regarding\u200b President Trump&#8217;s pardons\u2062 of\u2064 over 1,500\u2064 defendants \u200binvolved \u200bin the January\u2062 6 riot. \u2062These judges have condemned the pardons,\u200b describing them as a\u2064 serious affront to justice \u2063and\u200b a distortion of the true nature\u200b of\u2063 the events from that day. Judge Tanya Chutkan\u2062 issued a striking condemnation, insisting that such pardons cannot erase the \u200dviolence and terror inflicted by\u2064 the rioters.Judges Beryl Howell and Colleen Kollar-Kotelly also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/abigail-shrier-activist-teachers-recruit-middle-schoolers-for-lgbtq-clubs-mock-parents\/\" title=\"Abigail Shrier: Activist Teachers Recruit Middle Schoolers for \u2018LGBTQ Clubs,\u2019 Mock Parents\">voiced strong objections<\/a>, asserting that the pardons undermine\u2063 the rule of law and fail to honor the gravity of \u200dthe situation, \u200bnotably the actions of \u2062law enforcement who protected the capitol. \u200djudge Amy Berman Jackson emphasized that dismissing cases out\u2063 of respect\u200b for the pardons would dishonor the sacrifices made\u2062 to defend democracy. the judges are adamant that the past record of\u2062 accountability for the events \u2062of January\u2064 6 must remain intact, serving as both a testament and a warning \u2062against future lawlessness.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">DC judges bash Trump&rsquo;s Jan. 6 pardons using evocative rhetoric<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1941241\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>In the days since President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Donald Trump<\/a>&rsquo;s sweeping pardons of over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3293179\/trump-announces-mass-clemency-pardons-january-6-defendants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">1,500 defendants from the Jan. 6 riot<\/a>, several federal judges have issued blistering rebukes, painting his clemency orders as an affront to justice.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The pardons, described by Trump as a step toward &ldquo;national reconciliation,&rdquo; have led federal judges in Washington, D.C., to issue fiery responses to defendants seeking to have the Trump Justice Department remove their cases from the docket.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Judge Tanya Chutkan attends a farewell ceremony for Attorney General Merrick Garland at the Department of Justice, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Judge Tanya Chutkan, an appointee of former President Barack Obama who oversaw Trump&rsquo;s 2020 election federal criminal case, issued one of the most graphic condemnations Wednesday as she dismissed a pending case against a Capitol rioter.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This cannot whitewash the blood, feces, and terror that the mob left in its wake,&rdquo; Chutkan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/docket\/68344110\/30\/united-states-v-banuelos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">wrote<\/a> in a filing for defendant John Banuelo. &ldquo;And it cannot repair the jagged breach in America&rsquo;s sacred tradition of peacefully transitioning power.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>Chutkan went on to highlight the judiciary&rsquo;s work in holding over 1,000 rioters accountable, emphasizing that the historical record of these cases must remain unaltered as a testament and warning.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chief Judge Beryl Howell at an awards breakfast for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/i-cant-believe-youve-been-nominated-sen-hawley-grills-biden-judicial-nominee-over-her-work-for-southern-poverty-law-center\/\" title=\"\u2018I Can\u2019t Believe You\u2019ve Been Nominated\u2019: Sen Hawley Grills Biden Judicial Nominee Over Her Work For Southern Poverty Law Center\">pro bono counsel<\/a> at the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington, Thursday, April 21, 2016. (AP Photo\/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Judge Beryl Howell, the former chief judge of the D.C. District Court appointed by Obama, also weighed in, sharply criticizing Trump&rsquo;s justification for the mass pardons.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;No &lsquo;process of national reconciliation&rsquo; can begin when poor losers, whose preferred candidate loses an election, are glorified for disrupting a constitutionally mandated proceeding in Congress and doing so with impunity,&rdquo; Howell <a href=\"https:\/\/ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov\/cgi-bin\/show_public_doc?2021cr0073-134\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">wrote<\/a> in a filing for Proud Boys member Nicholas Ochs. &ldquo;That merely raises the dangerous specter of future lawless conduct by other poor losers and undermines the rule of law.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Howell dismissed several pending cases this week at the request of the Justice Department, which no longer seeks to prosecute them under Trump&rsquo;s directive. However, Howell and Chutkan refused to dismiss certain cases &ldquo;with prejudice,&rdquo; leaving the possibility open for future prosecution. One of these cases involved a chapter leader of the Proud Boys extremist group.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mary Cheh, right, is sworn in as Ward Three councilmember by District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, during the 2015 District of Columbia Inauguration ceremony at the Convention Center in Washington, Friday, Jan. 2, 2015. (AP Photo\/Carolyn Kaster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, a Clinton appointee, offered her own pointed remarks in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/docket\/66681139\/112\/united-states-v-box\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">response<\/a> to defendant Dominic Box&rsquo;s case dismissal Wednesday, saying no presidential proclamation could erase the truth of Jan. 6.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Dismissal of charges, pardons after convictions, and commutations of sentences will not change the truth of what happened,&rdquo; she wrote. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Those records are immutable and represent the truth, no matter how the events of January 6 are described by those charged or their allies,&rdquo; she said, praising the law enforcement officers who stood against the mob, saying, &ldquo;Standing with bear spray streaming down their faces, those officers carried out their duty to protect.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Judge Amy Berman Jackson, left, at an awards breakfast for pro bono counsel at the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington, Thursday, April 21, 2016. (AP Photo\/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The sharpest remarks of the week came Thursday from Judge Amy Berman Jackson, an Obama appointee who blasted the notion of dismissing cases with prejudice. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Such a dismissal would dishonor the hundreds of law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line against impossible odds to protect not only the U.S. Capitol building and the people who worked there &mdash; who were huddled inside in terror as windows and doors were shattered &mdash; but to protect the very essence of democracy: the peaceful transfer of power.&rdquo; Jackson added, &ldquo;Patriotism is loyalty to country and loyalty to the Constitution &mdash; not loyalty to a single head of state.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s pardons, issued late Monday, released convicted rioters from federal prisons and halted prosecutions for hundreds of pending cases. In his executive order, Trump called the prosecutions a &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">grave national injustice&#038;rdquo<\/a>; and framed his action as a corrective measure.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks as Former President Donald Trump, Republican presidential candidate, listens during a news conference, April 12, 2024, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo\/Wilfredo Lee)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;It was a terrible time and a terrible chapter in America&rsquo;s history,&rdquo; House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said in defense of the pardons. &ldquo;The president made his decision. I don&rsquo;t second guess those.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Some firebrand supporters of Trump slammed the judges for engaging in &ldquo;political rhetoric&rdquo; from their chambers and further alleged that their rhetoric against the defendants was emblematic that they were never treated fairly during their legal proceedings.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, Jesse Franklin-Murdock, counsel for the Dhillon Law Group, said Chutkan&rsquo;s remarks &ldquo;neither explain her decision nor clarify the law. She is using the imprimatur of her office to engage in political rhetoric.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If she can&rsquo;t apply the law to a J6er without condemning them, how can it be said that J6ers and Trump received due process in her courtroom?&rdquo; the attorney <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MurdockJDF\/status\/1882275012310425903\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">wrote<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n<p>Conservative journalist Julie Kelly, who was touted by Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk as having played a major role in advising Trump on pardons, called for the judges to be investigated, adding &ldquo;impeach or reassign them all&rdquo; in a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/julie_kelly2\/status\/1882535322614935915\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">post<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the Justice Department has begun notifying victims of the riot, including police officers, about the releases.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell listens as Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) talks about his injuries suffered on Jan. 6, as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol holds a hearing at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, July 12, 2022. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Aquilino Gonell, a former U.S. Capitol Police sergeant who testified about the attack, shared his frustration on social media.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE&nbsp;TO&nbsp;READ&nbsp;MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Each email and call log is a different violent rioter who assaulted me in the tunnel,&rdquo; Gonell wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If you are defending these people who brutally assaulted the police, maybe you ARE NOT a supporter of the police and the rule of law to begin with,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1941241\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1941241\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DC judges criticize Trump&#8217;s Jan. 6 pardons as unjust<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2394508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/AP19071469233681.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[49111,36978,3634],"class_list":["post-2394507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-dc-judges","tag-january-6","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/AP19071469233681.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2394507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2394507"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2394507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2394511,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2394507\/revisions\/2394511"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2394508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2394507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2394507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2394507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}