New: "Justice For J6" Says They're Rallying For Non-Violent Offenders. Most Alleged Capitol Rioters In Jail Are Charged With Violent Crimes. buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
Conservatives looking for ways to attack the Capitol riot prosecutions have pushed the "political prisoners" narrative. The overwhelming majority of people in jail are charged with:
- assaulting cops
- conspiring to attack the Capitol
- destroying property buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
The organizers of today's "Justice for J6" rally have insisted its only in support of "nonviolent offenders" while simultaneously pushing the "political prisoners" line, blurring that line themselves buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
Of the 70+ defendants in jail, more than half are charged with assaulting/interfering with police. Allegations include:
- punching a cop in the head
- tasing an officer
- using "bludgeoning weapons"
- being part of a mob that knocked an officer unconscious buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
Not everyone charged with assault at the Capitol is in jail. Judges have narrowed the grounds for keeping Jan. 6 defendants in jail pending trial, basing decisions on the severity of crimes charged and how much of a danger they pose going forward buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
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New: Defendants in the Jan. 6 Oath Keepers conspiracy case have lost part of their effort to get charges tossed out — no ruling yet on the conspiracy/obstruction counts, but the judge largely rebuffed other challenges s3.documentcloud.org/documents/2106…
The judge rejected challenges to the following charges in the Oath Keepers case:
- entering/remaining in restricted area or building
- destruction of govt property/tampering w/ evidence
The judge does find that defendant Joshua James is entitled to more information about which officer(s) he's accused of assaulting, but his lawyer already acknowledged that getting that info nullifies his motion to dismiss the count altogether
Hello from Judge Thomas Hogan's virtual courtroom, where a plea hearing is about to begin for Jan. 6 defendant Andrew Hatley. Feds confirmed he was there via Life360 cell location data. This is a misdemeanor-only case s3.documentcloud.org/documents/2045…
When Hatley was contacted by an FBI agent shortly after Jan. 6, Hatley "advised he was not sure how much he should say without legal counsel because he could be in a great deal of trouble"
Hatley is pleading guilty to one count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in the Capitol, a charge that carries a max sentence of 6 months in jail — this is the same class B misdemeanor we've seen in most Jan. 6 plea deals to date
Ethan Nordean and Joseph Biggs, charged in a Jan. 6 Proud Boys conspiracy case, are in court today arguing to be released. The thrust of the defense position is that they're on track for trial, and they argue they cannot prepare given complexity of the case w/ clients behind bars
Judge Timothy Kelly says he's sympathetic to concerns about trial prep — and notes that it's a problem they'll have to address even if he keeps them jailed — but notes that trial prep isn't one of the main factors courts can weigh in deciding whether to order pretrial detention
Nordean's lawyer Nicholas Smith begins by arguing the govt hasn't shown a specific risk that Nordean poses going forward, Kelly stops him to remind Smith they already argued this, the judge disagreed, *and* the DC Circuit upheld the detention decision
In 2016, Trump pitched to skeptical Republicans that even if they didn't like him, they needed him. Why? Judges.
The fight over Texas's 6-week abortion ban showed the lasting impact of Trump's nominees, not just at SCOTUS, but across the federal courts: buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
The justices didn't have to do anything for SB 8 to take effect — they simply didn't disturb a 5th Circuit order, which refused to halt the law and cut off the possibility of an immediate injunction. That three-judge panel featured two Trump nominees. buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
It's not just Texas, and it's not just the 5th Circuit. Trump + Senate Rs deepened conservative majorities in circuits that cover many states trying to restrict abortion access. Some of these judges fast became leading anti-abortion voices on the bench buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
Now: The 5th Circuit has issued a new order in the SB 8 case brought by abortion providers, and the short version is that it leaves the law in place for now.
This order does a few things:
- First, the 5th Circuit says the state defs (state judges, clerks, medical licensing officials, AG Paxton) win in arguing immunity — they don't enforce SB 8, so they can't be enjoined from doing anything, so they're not proper parties
- Next, there's the matter of antiabortion activist Mark Lee Dickson. Dickson can't claim immunity, and the district judge rejected his other args for dismissal. 5th Circuit says it'll hear his appeal of all that on an expedited basis, and keep the district court case on hold
AG Merrick Garland will be announcing a "civil enforcement action" at 2:30pm. Release doesn't specify what it's about, but @sgurman broke last night that legal action is imminent re: Texas's abortion ban, so stay tuned. Live stream will be here: justice.gov/live
DOJ's "civil enforcement action" presser was set for 2:30pm, live stream page updated to say 2:45pm, now says 3pm. There is a case docketed in WD-TX for United States v. Texas involving a constitutional claim, but nothing to 100% confirm it's about SB 8. So that's where we are.