Judge Dismisses Proud Boys Seditious Conspiracy Case After Trump Clemency

A federal judge has formally dismissed the remnants of the landmark seditious conspiracy case against four Proud Boys members, effectively ending one of the most significant prosecutions stemming from the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The ruling, issued on Friday by U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly, closes a chapter in the Justice Department’s years-long effort to hold the far-right group’s leadership accountable for orchestrating violence to prevent the peaceful transfer of presidential power.

According to AP News, the dismissal applies to Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola — four Proud Boys members who were convicted by a Washington, D.C. jury in 2023. Nordean, Biggs, and Rehl were found guilty of seditious conspiracy and other felonies, while Pezzola was acquitted of seditious conspiracy but convicted of assaulting a police officer and smashing a Capitol window, creating the first entry point for hundreds of rioters.

A Reluctant Ruling

Judge Kelly, a Trump appointee nominated during his first term in 2017, made clear in his seven-page memorandum that his decision to grant the dismissal should not be mistaken for agreement with it. The judge described the January 6 attack as “a perilous event” and an assault on the constitutional mechanism for the peaceful transfer of power.

“No one should mistake the Court’s granting of the Government’s motion for its agreement with those decisions,” Kelly wrote, as NBC News reported. He added that “it is hard to see how any course other than granting the motion in full could make practical sense,” noting that the court lacks the authority to compel the executive branch to pursue a prosecution.

Kelly acknowledged the political context behind the Justice Department’s request, writing: “President Trump’s views about the prosecution of those who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6 — whether those views are based on fact or fiction — are well known, as is his intention to extend clemency to them.”

The Path to Dismissal

The dismissal was the culmination of a series of actions that began when President Trump returned to office in January 2025. On his first day back, Trump issued approximately 1,500 full pardons for January 6 defendants and commuted the sentences of 14 others — including the four Proud Boys leaders — reducing their prison terms to time served but leaving their convictions intact.

In April 2026, the Justice Department under the Trump administration asked a federal appeals court to vacate the seditious conspiracy convictions entirely, characterizing them as “years-long, Biden-era weaponized prosecutions,” as AP News reported. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals approved the motion in May, sending the case back to Judge Kelly for final dismissal.

Former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio, who was convicted at the same trial and received a full pardon from Trump in January 2025, celebrated the ruling on social media. “The seditious conspiracy hoax and the whole rigged indictment against me, Ethan Nordean, Joe Biggs, Zach Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola has been VACATED!!!” Tarrio wrote, according to NBC News.

Defendant Zachary Rehl also expressed relief, posting on X: “Finally, it’s ALL OVER! January 6th can now be a thing of the past for me!”

Broader Implications for Accountability

The dismissal has reignited debate about accountability for the January 6 attack, which resulted in injuries to more than 140 police officers and caused approximately $3 million in damage. Critics argue that the ruling undermines the principle that no one is above the law, while supporters contend that the prosecutions were politically motivated.

Former Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, who was attacked during the riot, has been a vocal critic of the dismissals. “I would remind Americans that these were traitors to this country,” Fanone said, as AP News reported in April. “They planned, incited and carried out an insurrection.”

As The Guardian noted, Kelly concluded his memorandum with a broader reflection on American democracy: “Moving forward, if this Nation’s experiment in self-government is to last another 250 years, the American people — no matter their partisan preferences — will have to act together to preserve, protect and defend that miracle through our constitutional framework.”

The Oath Keepers Case Remains Unresolved

While the Proud Boys case has been resolved, a related matter involving the Oath Keepers — another far-right extremist group convicted of seditious conspiracy for their role in the January 6 attack — remains pending. A different judge has not yet ruled on the Justice Department’s request to dismiss the Oath Keepers’ convictions, including those of founder Stewart Rhodes, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Unlike the Proud Boys leaders, Rhodes did not receive a pardon or commutation from Trump. The outcome of his case will be closely watched as a further indicator of how the Trump administration’s approach to January 6 prosecutions continues to unfold.

What Comes Next

The dismissal of the Proud Boys case with prejudice means the charges cannot be revived in the future. Legal experts are already debating whether this sets a precedent that could limit the scope of seditious conspiracy prosecutions going forward. Meanwhile, a federal judge has indefinitely blocked the Trump administration’s proposed “anti-weaponization fund,” which was designed to compensate individuals described as “unfairly targeted by prosecutors.”

For the four Proud Boys members affected by Friday’s ruling, the legal ordeal that began more than five years ago has finally come to an end. But the broader questions about accountability, executive power, and the legacy of January 6 remain very much alive.