Judge Lifts Capitol Restrictions on Stewart Rhodes and Oath Keepers After Trump Commutes January 6 Sentences

Jan 27, 2025, 06:31 PM

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta has lifted restrictions that barred Stewart Rhodes, the former leader of the Oath Keepers, and several other members of the group from entering Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Capitol without court permission. The decision comes after President Donald Trump commuted the sentences of Rhodes and other Oath Keepers convicted in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. The commutation, which occurred on January 20, 2025, led to the immediate release of those in custody and prompted the Justice Department to argue that the defendants were no longer subject to the terms of supervised release and probation. Judge Mehta acknowledged that the commutation order extinguished the enforcement of the supervised release conditions, thus vacating his previous order that imposed the location restrictions.