ALI ALEXANDER

Judge vacates convictions of 4 Proud Boys in Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly signed off on the Justice Department's move to dismiss the convictions against Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola, but not before saying that President Trump's views about Jan. 6 are based on "fiction," while also citing a lack of other levers he could pull to stop the move. Immediately after taking office in January 2024, Mr. Trump pardoned about 1,500 people who had been convicted for their actions on Jan. 6. However, in his proclamation at the time, he commuted the sentences of 14 people to time served, but kept their convictions in place. Biggs, Rehl, Nordean and Pezzola were among them. In April, the Justice Department moved to vacate the convictions against a dozen former members of the right-wing Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, most of whom were convicted of seditious conspiracy. Kelly's ruling Friday was a procedural measure after a panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia signed off on the dismissal of the convictions in May, and sent the case back down to him. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-vacates-convictions-of-4-proud-boys-jan-6-capitol-insurrection/