Thread by @ZoeTillman

Hello from Judge Christopher "Casey" Cooper's virtual courtroom, where sentencing is underway for Jan. 6 defendant Julia Sizer. This is a misdemeanor plea (parading), govt wants 3 yrs probation + 2 mos home detention, Sizer arguing for 6 mos probation + $5K fine

Here's the info to dial-in to listen to the hearing before Cooper + rules:
dcd.uscourts.gov/covid-19-emerg…
Toll Free Number: 888-204-5984
Access Code: 8981531

AUSA acknowledges Sizer spent very little time in the Capitol ("very low end") but argues her "casual attitude" about going in after the building was breached and amid the noise/chaos of the riot was extremely concerning, says she initially lied to the FBI about involvement

Cooper questions govt request for home detention and how it amounts to actual punishment, noting it would still allow Sizer to work and leave the house for reasons re: her kids — judge asks, isn't that basically a curfew for two months?

AUSA responds that it's still a restriction on liberty, sends a message that probation is not the default

Sizer's lawyer says that shortly after the FBI agent first called and Sizer falsely said she hadn't gone into the Capitol, she called the lawyer and they contacted the FBI about her making a proffer and telling the truth, any delay was them waiting for a call back to set that up

Defense atty argues three years probation + house arrest is excessive, Sizer is deterred, she has to deal with her community knowing about her conviction, she's embarassed by her participation. As for public perception, he argues short probation + fine still sends a message

Cooper notes that home detention isn't the same as "house arrest" because it has carve-outs that allow the person to leave the home for work, education, etc.

Julia Sizer addresses the judge: Thank you for putting time aside for me today. Re: her turning around shortly after entering the Capitol, she says yes it was crowded, but it just "snapped into my head ... what am I doing?" this isn't me, I just wanted to get out of there

Sizer: Embarassed myself, my family, my friends, my employees. I'm just really ashamed. I'm not really a political person, and what happened on Jan. 6, I don't want it to define me...I just don't want a really bad decision I made to affect the rest of my life, I'm really sorry

Cooper says he's not the kind of judge who lectures, but wants to ask some questions to understand what happened. He asks if Sizer knew what part of the Capitol she was going into, she says no

Cooper notes timeline, that Ashli Babbitt was shot right around the time Sizer was going in with the crowd. He reiterates he doesn't want to lecture, but wants her to understand how dangerous the situation was, how many more people could have died if police hadn't shown restraint

Cooper sentences Julia Sizer to 1 year probation + $2,000 fine, doesn't think home detention makes sense under the circumstances. Judge says sometimes it's hard to tell if someone is remorseful because they're in court or if it's genuine, he thinks she falls into the latter

Cooper will keep jurisdiction over her case while she's on probation under supervision in her home district (a standard thing, but something judges in these cases are making clear), quips, "nothing personal, but I'd just as soon as not see you in the next year." That's a wrap.