Reagan Judge Calls Trump Pardons Meritless Justifications: Stand for Law, Order

On January 20, 2025, Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 convicted criminals who attacked the U.S. Capitol. More than 600 assaulted police officers. Over 170 used deadly weapons against law enforcement. Among those pardoned: Peter Schwartz, with 38 prior convictions including assault with a deadly weapon and terroristic threats, who received one of the highest sentences at 14 years. Kasey Hopkins, convicted of forcible rape in 2002 after choking his victim until her vision failed and urinating in her mouth to humiliate her. Theodore Middendorf, serving 19 years for sexually assaulting a seven-year-old. David Daniel, charged with producing child pornography involving prepubescent girls in his own family. On November 9, 2025, Trump added 77 more pardons for allies who tried to overturn the 2020 election, including Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, and Sidney Powell. The Fraternal Order of Police, which endorsed Trump three times, condemned the January 20 pardons for sending “a dangerous message that the consequences for attacking law enforcement are not severe.” The pardons proved their point. Zachary Alam, sentenced to eight years for smashing the Capitol door Ashli Babbitt tried to climb through, was arrested May 9, 2025, for burglarizing a home. Christopher Moynihan, pardoned after storming the Capitol, was arrested October 21, 2025, for threatening to kill Congressman Hakeem Jeffries. Edward Kelley, convicted of tackling a police officer and plotting to murder the FBI agents who arrested him, received a pardon and was later sentenced to life in prison in July 2025. Reagan-appointed Judge Royce Lamberth stated on January 25, 2025, that in his decades on the bench he could never recall “such meritless justifications of criminal activity.” Trump-appointed Judge Carl Nichols said blanket pardons would be “beyond frustrating and disappointing.” Judge Amit Mehta warned that pardoning Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes “is frightening and ought to be frightening to anyone who cares about democracy in this country.” When law and order applies to everyone except those who serve Trump’s interests, we no longer have a justice system. Demand Trump face accountability for corrupting justice. Demand Congress limit pardon power to prevent future abuses. Your silence makes you complicit in the death of equal justice under law.