Over 100 Jan. 6 Convicts Could Be Resentenced After New D.C. Appeals Court Verdict

A federal appeals court asked a lower court to re-sentence January 6 Capitol rioter Larry Brock after it determined his sentence was unnecessarily long.

Brock’s Case: The appeal was heard by the D.C. appeals court which is made up of three Democrat appointees, who did not overturn the felony conviction that charged Brock with obstructing the work of Congress. But the court did determine the lower court judge wrongly decided Brock should face an enhanced sentence for “substantial interference with the administration of justice,” saying the penalty does not apply to crimes committed at the Capitol. 

Other Convicts: The ruling could affect at least 100 others charged in connection with January 6 who had their sentences based on the same enhancement.

Key Quote: The appeals court ruled, “We must apply the Guideline as written, and Brock’s interference with one stage of the electoral college vote-counting process — while no doubt endangering our democratic processes and temporarily derailing Congress’s constitutional work — did not interfere with the ‘administration of justice.’”

How The Media Covered It: The story was widely covered by outlets on the left and right, but hardly covered by Center-rated outlets. Newsweek (Center bias) covered the court’s verdict for Brock, but did not mention how it could affect the other 100+ convicts like most other outlets did. Washington Post (Lean Left bias) included context on the court’s conclusion that Brock acted with unlawful intent, and how former President Trump has denied criminal intent of his own in connection with his actions on January 6, 2021.