Judge Mehta Lifts Restrictions on Oath Keepers' Stewart Rhodes and Other January 6 Defendants from Entering U.S. Capitol

Jan 27, 2025, 06:14 PM

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta has lifted restrictions that previously barred Stewart Rhodes, the former leader of the Oath Keepers, and other January 6 defendants from entering Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Capitol without court permission. This decision follows President Trump's commutation of their sentences on January 20, 2025, which led to their immediate release from custody. The commutation order was part of a broader action that included pardons for over 1,000 others convicted of offenses related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Judge Mehta's initial order imposing the restrictions was challenged by the Justice Department, which argued that the commutation rendered the terms of supervised release no longer enforceable. Mehta acknowledged the validity of the commutation, stating that it would be improper for the court to modify the original sentences post-commutation, and thus vacated his earlier order.