On Thursday, two federal judges agreed to delay the criminal trial of the defendants who breached the Capitol on January 6, 2021, as they deemed the litigation unnecessary given that Trump will soon assume the presidency.
According to The Capitol Hill newspaper, US District Judges Carl Nichols and Rudolph Contreras, appointed by Trump and Obama respectively, expressed their desire to conserve court resources and avoid summoning dozens of jurors for cases that may be dismissed in a matter of weeks.
This marks the first time federal judges have acquiesced to requests to postpone the January 6 defendants’ trials, as Trump has pledged to pardon many individuals accused of unlawfully entering the Capitol.
Defendant William Pope, scheduled for a misdemeanor trial in December, requested a delay in his trial on January 6, which was approved by Contreras. Now, Contreras is considering pushing the trial to late February next year.
Judge Nichols also approved requests from three other January 6 defendants to delay their trials. He questioned prosecutors about whether these trials would still proceed once Trump takes over the Justice Department. Unable to provide a definitive answer, he set trial dates for April next year and extended all other deadlines to allow the Justice Department time to rearrange matters under Trump’s leadership.
Contreras stated, “I am focused on saving the resources of the parties, the court, and the public.”
In response, Assistant US Attorney Benet Kearney argued that despite the uncertainty caused by Trump’s inauguration, a few judges have chosen to maintain trial schedules.
Contreras reiterated, “I will not reconsider my decision.”