The judge, Amit P. Mehta, expressed sharp criticism when he granted a dismissal of the Jan. 6 charges against the Oath Keepers. In a courtroom statement, he described the administration’s request as an attempt to give the defendants “unearned grace” by wiping their records clean.

The decision came after months of litigation in Washington, D.C., where the federal government sought to remove the cases, citing lack of evidence and procedural concerns. Mehta argued that dismissing the charges would undermine the rule of law and set a dangerous precedent for future insurrection cases. The Oath Keepers, a far‑right militia group, had faced multiple indictments for their role in the Capitol riot.

Their legal team welcomed the ruling as a victory, while the administration’s lawyers expressed disappointment, claiming the dismissal would save time and resources. The move has sparked debate over how the judiciary should handle politically charged prosecutions and whether a judge should intervene when the United States executive branch seeks to alter the outcome of a criminal case.