US Federal judges postpone Jan. 6 trials, anticipating possible Trump pardons

ISTANBUL

Two US federal judges agreed Thursday to delay key deadlines in criminal trials of a man charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, according to reports.

They agreed that President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration – set for Jan. 20 – could make the proceedings unnecessary, Politico reported. On the campaign trail before being elected last week, Trump repeatedly pledged to release people serving jail time over the riot.

Over the Justice Department's objections, US district judges Carl Nichols and Rudolph Contreras – appointed by Trump and Barack Obama, who served as president just before Trump’s first term, in 2017-2021 – said it would conserve court resources and avoid calling in jurors for cases that might be dismissed in a few weeks.

This is the first time federal judges have acquiesced to the demands of the defendants in the case, anticipating possible pardons from Trump.

"There’s a real possibility of that happening," Contreras said after granting the delay requested by defendant William Pope.

Pope was scheduled to stand trial in December on misdemeanor charges.

More than 1,230 people have been charged with federal crimes in the riot, and about 750 got sentences, including almost two-thirds getting jail time, ranging from just a few days to over two decades in prison.

The day after the attack, which took place during proceedings certifying that Joe Biden had won the 2020 presidential election, then-President Trump said "intruders" had "infiltrated the Capitol" in a "heinous attack" and "defiled the seat of American democracy." Rioters who took part in "acts of violence and destruction … do not represent our country," and those who broke the law "will pay," he said.

In the years since, however, Trump has called the Jan. 6 riot a “day of love” and those serving prison time over the incident “hostages” who were allegedly treated unfairly.