Judge Blasts Trump DOJ Before Dismissing 'Head-Scratching' J6 Case
By Kyle Becker | 12:30 PM on August 05, 2026The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.
An Obama-appointed federal judge used the dismissal of the final Oath Keepers prosecution not simply to close a criminal case, but to deliver a lengthy rebuke of the Trump administration's handling of January 6 prosecutions.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ultimately concluded he had no legal authority to stop the Department of Justice from dismissing the indictment against Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and other defendants.
The Justice Department asked the court to dismiss the indictment after the D.C. Circuit vacated the convictions and remanded the case. President Donald Trump had previously commuted the sentences of Rhodes and several other defendants, while issuing pardons to hundreds of other January 6 defendants.
Rather than simply grant the motion, Mehta issued a 15-page opinion questioning nearly every justification advanced by the Department of Justice.
https://redstate.com/kyle-becker/2026/08/05/judge-goes-off-on-trump-doj-as-he-dismisses-seditious-conspiracy-case-n2205213#google_vignette
