Judge drops order barring Rhodes, other Oath Keepers from entering DC without court permission

Source: The Hill

01/27/25 1:54 PM ET


A federal judge on Monday walked back his order barring Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and seven other members of the right-wing extremist group from entering Washington, D.C., without the court’s permission after President Trump commuted their sentences for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who oversaw the Oath Keepers conspiracy trials, vacated the order after determining that it would be “improper” to modify their original sentences “post-commutation.”

“It is not for this court to divine why President Trump commuted Defendants’ sentences, or to assess whether it was sensible to do so,” Mehta wrote, denying the Justice Department’s request to “dismiss” the Oath Keepers’ supervised release terms altogether but acknowledging they will not be enforced. “The court’s sole task is to determine the act’s effect,” he said.

The initial order also blocked the Oath Keepers from entering the U.S. Capitol or surrounding grounds without permission, which was put into place after Rhodes was spotted last week in the Capitol complex, where he sought to advocate for the release of another Oath Keeper shortly after his own release from prison.

Read more: https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5108880-federal-judge-vacates-order-oath-keepers/