Judge bars freed Oath Keepers founder from visiting DC locations 'without permission from the court'

24 January

On May 25, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) — which was led by then-U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland at the time — announced that Oath Keepers founder Stuart Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison "for seditious conspiracy and other charges related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol" on January 6, 2021."

But Rhodes was released from prison after President Donald Trump issued broad pardons for around 1500 January 6 rioters along with commutations for 14 defendants.

Rhodes, after his release, visited the U.S. Capitol Building. And Judge Amit Mehta later imposed some restrictions on his release.

In a January 24 post on X, formerly Twitter, Politico's Kyle Cheney reported that Mehta "barred Stewart Rhodes and other Oath Keepers whose sentences were *commuted* from going into Washington or the U.S. Capitol without permission from the court."

According to Cheney, Mehta's ruling "appeared to be a response to Rhodes' decision to hold court in the Capitol Wednesday."

Mehta was very specific in his ruling, saying that the restrictions involve not only the U.S. Capitol Building itself, but also, "surrounding grounds known as Capitol Square and consisting of the square block bounded by Constitution Avenue, N.W. and N.E., to First Street, N.E. and S.E., to Independence Avenue, S.E. and S.W., to First Street, S.W. and N.W."

Rhodes and others, under the order, cannot visit those locations "without first obtaining the permission from the Court."

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