{"id":2628253,"date":"2026-07-10T22:45:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T02:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-grants-dojs-motion-to-dismiss-case-against-proud-boys-over-jan-6\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T22:45:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T02:45:24","slug":"judge-grants-dojs-motion-to-dismiss-case-against-proud-boys-over-jan-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-grants-dojs-motion-to-dismiss-case-against-proud-boys-over-jan-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge grants DOJ&#8217;s motion to dismiss case against Proud Boys over Jan. 6"},"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%2Fjudge-grants-dojs-motion-to-dismiss-case-against-proud-boys-over-jan-6%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=2628253&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>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-rips-elite-anti-racist-high-school-approves-lawsuit-over-new-admissions-policy\/\" title=\"Judge Rips Elite \u2018Anti-Racist\u2019 High School, Approves Lawsuit Over New Admissions Policy\">federal judge approved<\/a> the Department of Justice&#8217;s request to vacate the sedition conspiracy convictions of Proud Boys members related to the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly dismissed with prejudice the indictments against Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola, effectively closing their cases and barring re-prosecution. This decision follows actions by the Trump governance, which commuted sentences for Nordean, Biggs, Rehl, and Pezzola, and issued a full pardon to Enrique Tarrio, the Proud Boys&#8217; former chairman. The justice Department had sought to vacate their convictions, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-court-blocks-fda-ban-on-juul-products\/\" title=\"Federal ... blocks FDA ban on Juul products\">appeals court granted<\/a> this in May. Judge Kelly emphasized the executive branch&#8217;s broad authority over prosecutorial decisions, stating that courts cannot deny dismissals requested by prosecutors, but clarified that this does not imply approval of the government&#8217;s handling of January 6 cases.The case&#8217;s dismissal underscores the constitutional authority of the executive in criminal charges and highlights ongoing political and legal debates surrounding the Capitol attack.  <\/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<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A federal judge granted the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"438\">Department of Justice<\/a>\u2018s request to vacate the seditious conspiracy convictions of Proud Boys members, tossing the most serious criminal judgments stemming from the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/january-6\/\">Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, an appointee of President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a>, dismissed with prejudice the indictment against former Proud Boys Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola, closing a case that had resulted in some of the most significant convictions arising from the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/us-capitol\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1408\">Capitol<\/a> riot.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4644260\/apple-sue-openai-theft-trade-secret\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Apple sues OpenAI over \u2018pervasive\u2019 theft of trade secrets<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4644029\/judge-blocks-tyler-robinson-hearing-exhibits-broadcast-confession-letter-error\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Judge blocks Tyler Robinson hearing exhibits from broadcast after confession letter error<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4644026\/appeals-court-blocks-release-biden-hur-interview-tapes\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Appeals court temporarily blocks release of Biden-Hur interview tapes<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ruling follows a series of actions by the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"339\">Trump administration<\/a> in which the president commuted the sentences of Nordean, Biggs, Rehl, and Pezzola while issuing a full pardon to former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio. In April, the Justice Department asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to vacate the four men\u2019s convictions and remand the case so prosecutors could seek dismissal. The appeals court granted that request in May.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Friday\u2019s seven-page opinion, Kelly said the executive branch has broad constitutional authority over charging decisions and that precedent required the court to grant the government\u2019s unopposed motion. In dismissing the case with prejudice, Kelly\u2019s order permanently bars the federal government from bringing the same charges against the four defendants again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Executive\u2019s primacy in criminal charging decisions is long settled,\u201d Kelly wrote, adding that courts have \u201cno power\u201d to deny a prosecutor\u2019s request to dismiss charges simply because they disagree with the government\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kelly emphasized, however, that granting the motion should not be viewed as an endorsement of the administration\u2019s handling of Jan. 6 prosecutions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBecause the decisions to issue the Executive Order and to abandon this prosecution \u2026 are solely the Executive\u2019s, no one should mistake the Court\u2019s granting the Government\u2019s motion for its agreement with those decisions,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is little mystery about why the Government is moving to dismiss this case, or whether dismissal is in fact what the Executive seeks\u201d Kelly later added. \u201cPresident Trump\u2019s views about the prosecution of those who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6 \u2014 whether those views are based on fact or fiction \u2014 are well known, as is his intention to extend clemency to them through the Executive Order.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4641218\/alleged-jan-6-pipe-bomber-brian-cole-jr-trial-set-february\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4641218\/alleged-jan-6-pipe-bomber-brian-cole-jr-trial-set-february\/\">ALLEGED JAN. 6 PIPE BOMBER BRIAN COLE JR.\u2019S TRIAL SET FOR FEBRUARY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The judge also devoted the final section of the opinion to describing the gravity of Jan. 6, framing it as an attack on the constitutional process of peaceful transfer of power from one president to the next.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nordean, Biggs, and Rehl were convicted in 2023 of seditious conspiracy and other felonies tied to the attack. Pezzola was acquitted of seditious conspiracy but convicted of multiple other felonies, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >including assaulting police officers<\/a> and destroying government property after using a stolen police shield to break a Capitol window.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Judge vacates Proud Boys Jan. 6 convictions, dismisses charges<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4130,"featured_media":2628254,"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\/2026\/07\/proud-boys-j6-case-dismissed.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[33740,32087,4901,50866],"class_list":["post-2628253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-court-ruling","tag-jan-6","tag-justice","tag-proud-boys"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/proud-boys-j6-case-dismissed.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2628253","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\/4130"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2628253"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2628253\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2628257,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2628253\/revisions\/2628257"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2628254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2628253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2628253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2628253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}