The Trump administration has moved to vacate the seditious conspiracy convictions of Proud Boys and Oath Keeper leaders connected to the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol protest.
The Department of Justice filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, asking the judges to drop the convictions. “The government’s motion to vacate in this case is consistent with its practice of moving the Supreme Court to vacate convictions in cases where the government has decided in its prosecutorial discretion that dismissal of a criminal case is in the interests of justice — motions that the Supreme Court routinely grants,” prosecutors wrote.
“Wherefore, the United States respectfully requests that the Court vacate the defendants’ convictions and remand to the district court so that the government may move to dismiss the indictment with prejudice under Rule 48(a),” the filing says.
The dismissal requests affect Proud Boys members Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola.
President Trump pardoned those involved in January 6 in 2025. “This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation,” his proclamation read. Trump called for a “full, complete and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.”
“I further direct the Attorney General to pursue dismissal with prejudice to the government of all pending indictments against individuals for their conduct related to the events at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021,” the proclamation added.
