A federal judge dismissed the remaining seditious conspiracy charges against Proud Boys members connected to the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, granting a Justice Department request to toss the convictions. The ruling effectively ends one of the most prominent criminal cases to emerge from the Capitol riot, in which Proud Boys leaders had previously been convicted and sentenced to significant prison terms.

The Justice Department's motion to dismiss was granted by the court, resulting in the vacating of convictions that had been seen as landmark prosecutions for their use of the rarely charged seditious conspiracy statute. Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and other members had been convicted in 2023 on those charges and sentenced to years in federal prison.

The dismissal follows a broader pattern of the Justice Department, under the current administration, revisiting and moving to drop a number of January 6-related prosecutions. Prosecutors had previously sought and obtained lengthy sentences arguing the defendants conspired to use force to oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power.

The seditious conspiracy statute, which carries penalties of up to 20 years in prison, had not been successfully prosecuted in decades prior to the January 6 cases. Legal experts noted the dismissal raises significant questions about the durability of such prosecutions when subsequent administrations choose not to pursue them. Defense attorneys for the Proud Boys members had long argued the charges were politically motivated.