A US judge dismissed a lawsuit on January 6 against the Proud Boys after Trump’s order | Donald Trump News

A United States court has dismissed charges against four members of the Proud Boys group, a right-wing group that was involved in the attacks on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

On Friday, Judge Timothy J Kelly, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, granted the government’s request to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning it cannot be revived in the future.

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But Kelly made it clear that the defendants – Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola – “were convicted of serious crimes”.

In his 7-page decision, he wrote that his decision was based on separation of powers, not because of the case.

“As the Court has said many times, the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 was dangerous. It was an attack on people, including police officers, many of whom were injured,” Kelly. he wrote.

“It was an attack on the constitution to facilitate a peaceful transfer of power from one president to another,” he said.

During the January 6 riots

Friday’s ruling was another milestone in Trump’s efforts to end the January 6th impeachment trial.

The attack on the Capitol came shortly after Trump lost his 2020 presidential bid to Democrat Joe Biden. But after his loss, Trump spread falsehoods that the election was rigged.

January 6, 2021, was the day Congress had to confirm the votes of the Electoral College, confirming Trump’s defeat.

His vice president at the time, Mike Pence, was in charge of licensing that day. But behind the scenes, Trump reportedly pressured Pence to deny the election results.

In the afternoon, Trump held a “Save America” ​​rally in front of the White House, reiterating to his supporters that he had won “resoundingly”.

“If Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election,” Trump once said. At one point, he said, “If you don’t fight like hell, you won’t have a country.”

Later, some of his followers went to the Capitol and broke into the building, attacked the police and destroyed millions of dollars. The students showed that their goal was to stop the pass, some chanting, “Hang Mike Pence.”

The attack turned deadly. One protester was shot by police as he climbed through a broken window to enter the Speaker of the House. Another soldier died of a stroke the day after the attack. Some died by suicide after the attack. Members of Congress had to be led to safety.

Under Biden’s administration, the Justice Department opened criminal charges against nearly 1,600 people involved.

But Trump has long defended the perpetrators of violence and called their crime a “national injustice”.

Mr. Trump himself has faced two lawsuits — one state, one federal — for his efforts to influence the results of the election, although those charges were dismissed upon his election in 2024.

To resolve cases

Citing the January 6 crimes as an example of the government’s “weapons,” Trump campaigned in 2024 by promising to pardon violent criminals.

He fulfilled that promise on the first day of his second term. On January 20, 2025, Trump signed an executive order granting “full, complete and unconditional amnesty” to many of the defendants involved in the Capitol attack.

Trump also commuted the sentences of 14 people, including Nordean, Biggs, Rehl and Pezzola. Under his administration, the Ministry of Justice has also requested that the proceedings on January 6 be dropped.

Judge Kelly cited the incident in Friday’s ruling, although he appeared to express skepticism.

Kelly wrote: “No one should be mistaken for the Court’s acceptance of the Government’s request to comply with these rulings.”

In May 2023, a jury in Washington, DC, found Nordean, Biggs and Rehl guilty of crimes including conspiracy to treasonalong with Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio.

Pezzola, meanwhile, was found not guilty of treason, but was found guilty of several charges, including assaulting a police officer. At sentencing, the four men received sentences ranging from 10 to 18 years, with Pezzola receiving the least sentence of the group.

But considering the fate of the four men’s case, Judge Kelly explained that it was “difficult to see” any way forward other than dismissal.

The court, Kelly explained, “cannot ‘force’ the executive branch to file charges against them.” Trump’s order also required the Justice Department to request that the case be dismissed.

“The court will grant this decision because there are no grounds for denying the State to settle this case with prejudice,” Kelly said.

But he ended his sentence with a warning about protecting the future of American democracy from further attacks.

“Going forward, if this country’s attempt at self-government is to last another 250 years, the American people — regardless of their preferences — must act to preserve, protect and defend that miracle through our laws,” Kelly said.