Oath Keepers and Proud Boys -- permanent dismissal of their indictments before Appellate court

Justice Department asks appeals court to erase seditious conspiracy convictions of Oath Keepers and Proud Boys leaders

The Justice Department on April 14 asked a federal appeals court to vacate the seditious conspiracy convictions of top Oath Keepers and Proud Boys leaders, a move that would wipe some of the most consequential January 6 criminal verdicts from the books and bar prosecutors from ever refiling the same charges.

Prosecutors filed unopposed motions with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit seeking to throw out the convictions and send the cases back to the trial court for dismissal with prejudice.

That legal term means the government could never bring those specific charges again against the same defendants. The filings cover a roster of high-profile January 6 figures, including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Jessica Watkins, and Proud Boys members Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola.

The step goes well beyond the commutations and pardons President Trump issued to January 6 defendants in January 2025. Commutations shortened sentences but left the underlying convictions intact. Pardons forgave the offenses but did not necessarily erase the court record.

What the DOJ now seeks is a full vacatur of the jury verdicts themselves, followed by permanent dismissal of the indictments.

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