A federal judge on Friday agreed to toss the convictions of four individuals who participated in the January 6 protests at the Capitol in 2021, following a Justice Department request to clear some of the last remaining cases in the wake of President Donald Trump’s mass pardons of January 6 protesters.

Background

U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly granted the motion to dismiss the convictions against Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola with prejudice, meaning the case is permanently closed. The four men were among 14 individuals whose sentences were commuted by Trump last year.

Kelly, who was appointed by Trump in 2017, wrote that while the federal government can request that a case be vacated, he did not approve of the administration’s move here. The judge indicated that he could not sustain the case once the Justice Department declined to maintain its prosecution of the defendants.

Reaction

Rehl, who was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison in 2023, celebrated the ruling Friday in a post on X, writing “Finally, it’s ALL OVER! January 6th can now be a thing of the past for me!”

Enrique Tarrio, who was on trial alongside the four men, congratulated them after Friday’s ruling, saying “The seditious conspiracy hoax and the whole rigged indictment against me, Ethan Nordean, Joe Biggs, Zach Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola has been VACATED!!!”

Original reporting: NBC Connecticut — read the source article.