DOJ Seeks to Overturn Seditious Conspiracy Convictions for Jan. 6 Leaders

The United States Department of Justice requested that a federal appeals court vacate the seditious conspiracy convictions of leaders from the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys on April 14, 2026. These individuals were convicted for their roles in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Prosecutors have asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to overturn the convictions so the government can move to dismiss the cases with prejudice. This legal maneuver would mean the defendants could not be tried on those specific charges again.

Defendants and Convictions

The motions, signed by Jeanine Pirro, the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, target several high-ranking members of far-right groups. Four members of the Proud Boys—Ethan Nordean, Joe Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Enrique Tarrio—were previously convicted of sedition.

Within the Oath Keepers, founder Stewart Rhodes and deputy Kelly Meggs were convicted of seditious conspiracy. While other members of both groups were charged, some were acquitted of sedition but convicted of other felonies.

Dominic Pezzola of the Proud Boys was acquitted of seditious conspiracy but was convicted of other serious felonies. Similarly, three other members of the Oath Keepers were acquitted of sedition but faced convictions on different charges.

Executive Actions and Legal Justification

The Justice Department’s request follows a series of executive actions taken by President Donald Trump. In January 2025, on the first day of his second term, Trump issued sweeping commutations and pardons to approximately 1,600 people charged in connection with the Capitol attack.

Enrique Tarrio, the former chairman of the Proud Boys who received a 22-year prison sentence, was pardoned in January 2025. Other top leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers had their sentences commuted to time served.

In the Executive Branch’s view, it is not in the interests of justice to continue to prosecute this case or the cases of other, similarly situated defendants

Daniel Lenerz, deputy chief of the appellate division within the U.S. Attorney’s office for D.C.

The filing comes as the Justice Department seeks to resolve these cases ahead of key deadlines in the leaders’ appeals. The original investigation into the January 6 events was described by former U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland as one of the most resource-intensive and complex probes in the history of the department.

The members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers were accused of plotting to obstruct the certification of the 2020 presidential election to keep Donald Trump in power.