In the run-up to President-elect Donald Trump’s second term, two federal courts decided on January 6 to postpone criminal prosecutions for a number of people accused of trespassing on the U.S. Capitol.
On January 6, two federal courts decided to postpone criminal hearings for several people accused of trespassing on the U.S. Capitol due to President-elect Donald Trump’s impending second term.
The proceedings will wait until after Trump’s inauguration, according to circuit court justices Carl Nichols and Rudolph Contreras, who were both appointed by Trump and Obama, respectively. The judges reasoned that if Trump takes over as president and head of the Department of Justice, he might cancel the cases and pardon individuals who were convicted.
Judges have now accepted the pleas of Jan. 6 defendants to postpone their cases in anticipation of possible Trump pardons for the first time, Fox News reported.
Contreras said it would be a waste to summon a jury and use taxpayer funds when there is a “real possibility” of a Trump pardon. He postponed the trial scheduled for defendant William Pope until late February.
Judges have now accepted the pleas of Jan. 6 defendants to postpone their cases in anticipation of possible Trump pardons for the first time, Fox News reported.
Contreras said it would be a waste to summon a jury and use taxpayer funds when there is a “real possibility” of a Trump pardon. He postponed the trial scheduled for defendant William Pope until late February.