Our new report breaks down today's #J20 legal news, which likely represents a decisive end to the troubled case in which federal prosecutors had been fighting tooth & nail to convict anti-Trump protesters based on a wide-reaching conspiracy theory unicornriot.ninja/2018/us-attorn…
We've been doing our best to cover the #J20 case since the events of January 20, when hundreds of people took to the streets of DC for a militant street march demanding "No Peaceful Transition" for the new Trump administration: unicornriot.ninja/2017/no-peacef…
In the fallout from inauguration day protests and the #J20 mass-arrest, we reported on the 'superseding indictment' filed by @USAO_DC in March 2017. @DCPoliceDept Detective @G_Pem would later be accused of lying to a grand jury to secure this indictment. unicornriot.ninja/2017/214-indic…
in June 2017, we were there when an anti-fascist coalition of DC groups rallied outside DC police HQ demanding that the #J20 charges be dropped unicornriot.ninja/2017/speakout-…
In July 2017, we reported on the sentencing of #J20 protester Dane Powell, who took a non-cooperating plea deal, served four months, and was released later that year. unicornriot.ninja/2017/j20-defen…
On July 28, 2017 we went to DC Superior Court for a motions hearing in the #J20 case, where Judge Lynn Leibovtitz threw out one count from the indictment but allowed the majority of the prosecution's case to proceed unicornriot.ninja/2017/j20-indic…
For many long weeks in Nov-Dec 2017 we were in court reporting from 1st trial of 6 #J20 defendants. The case relied on the govt's assertion that by being at a black bloc march ppl acted as a "getaway car." Ppl on trial included 2 medics & a photojournalist unicornriot.ninja/2017/criminali…
1st #j20 trial saw introduction of videos by Project Veritas, which would later end up scuttling the govt's case. Some @DCPoliceDept testimony also went into detail about data extracted from cell phones taken off protesters & journalists they had arrested unicornriot.ninja/2017/criminali…
1st trial of #J20 Trump inauguration protesters got more colorful when the prosecutors called Commander Deville as a witness. Deville admitted giving no warnings before ordering the mass-arrest of the entire protest & said he was targeting "anarchists" unicornriot.ninja/2017/police-co… 
Under cross-examination, Commander Deville admitted that he had a history of workplace issues including homophobic and transphobic remarks as well as joking about the Holocaust. Prosecutors did not bring Deville back to testify in the 2nd #J20 trial. unicornriot.ninja/2017/police-co…
Further proceedings in 1st #J20 trial exposed numerous issues w police witnesses called by prosecutors. One cop present on #J20 compared his experience that day to "herding people at Barry Farms." Barry Farms is a housing project in a black DC neighborhood unicornriot.ninja/2017/criminali…
Last December, with jury deliberations threatening to run through Christmas, the first #J20 trial finally ended in full acquittals for all 6 defendants unicornriot.ninja/2017/jury-find…
After their failure to convict anyone at the first #J20 trial, the DC US Attorney dropped 129 cases on January 18, 2018. They claimed to have more substantial evidence against the remaining 59 defendants. This claim would not withstand the test of time. unicornriot.ninja/2018/us-attorn…
On May 16, 2018 the second #J20 trial started, this time in the courtroom of Judge Kimberley Knowles. Assistant US Attorney Jennifer Kerkhoff's opening argument in the second trial was mostly word-for-word the same language as at the first trial unicornriot.ninja/2018/second-tr…
As 2nd #j20 trial got underway, Chief Judge Robert Morin ruled that @USAO_DC broke the 'Brady rule' by hiding evidence from Project Veritas from the defense. But jurors in Judge Knowles' court had already watched the Project Veritas video before his ruling
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Despite the jury having been shown tainted evidence regarding which the Chief Judge had found a Brady violation, Judge Knowles declined defense requests for a mistrial and sent the jury in the second #J20 trial into deliberations. unicornriot.ninja/2018/second-j2…
June 4, 2018: in a separate motions hearing from the 2nd #j20 trial, prosecutors dropped the case against another group of defendants scheduled to face trial soon. The move came in light of Chief Judge Morin sanctioning @USAO_DC for the 'Brady' violation unicornriot.ninja/2018/more-trum…
In an odd development that was distinct from the first #J20 trial, the jury in the 2nd trial was allowed to reach verdicts one by one for each defendant. One defendant was fully acquitted, others had partial acquittals with a hung jury on other charges unicornriot.ninja/2018/second-tr…
2nd #J20 trial was marked by its own mini-scandal involving prosecution witness Officer William Chatman. After testifying, Chatman, who was once sued for brutality, wore a shirt in court which read “Police Brutality: Doing What Their Parents Should Have?”
On June 13, a week after the 2nd #J20 trial ended with still zero convictions for prosecutors Kerkhoff & Qureshi, @USAO_DC announced they were dropping all charges against another trial group entirely - 8 defendants this time unicornriot.ninja/2018/federal-p…
Today, Assistant US Attorney Rizwan Qureshi filed the government's motion to dismiss charges against all remaining 39 #J20 defendants. (1 name was missing from the motion due to an error but their case is still confirmed dismissed) unicornriot.ninja/2018/us-attorn…
After the judge approved the motion to dismiss a federal order was signed to dismiss all remaining charges from the #J20 prosecution. The case, which lasted a year and four months and first threatened 214 people with over 60 years in prison, is now done. unicornriot.ninja/2018/us-attorn…
(Note: Charges dismissed without prejudice could hypothetically be re-filed, although this appears unlikely) unicornriot.ninja/2018/us-attorn… #J20 #J20trials
Our coverage of #J20, both on the ground and in court, was only possible thanks to gracious support from our audience. Thank you to everyone who makes it possible for Unicorn Riot to do what we do! unicornriot.ninja/support-our-wo…
