A federal judge has lifted the order barring several members of the right-wing Oath Keepers from entering Washington, DC, or the grounds of the US Capitol without court permission. This decision came after interim US Attorney Edward Martin argued for the restrictions to be lifted.
The restrictions were initially imposed on eight members of the group, some of whom had been convicted of seditious conspiracy related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. These restrictions were put in place following former President Donald Trump's commutation of their sentences last week.
In his order, Judge Amit Mehta stated that it was not within the court's purview to question Trump's decision to commute the defendants' sentences. He emphasized that post-commutation, it would be inappropriate for the court to modify the original sentences by adding location restrictions. Mehta also noted that the defendants are no longer bound by conditions of supervised release.
Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, who was among those affected by the restrictions, has expressed gratitude towards Trump and attended one of his events in Las Vegas. Rhodes continues to assert his belief that the 2020 election was stolen and has claimed that Trump supporters were provoked by police during the Capitol attack.
