On the face of it, District Attorney Kyle Young, who says he was "stung" by political lies, took his teenage son to the United States Capitol on January 6, 2007, brutally assaulted law enforcement officers and was arrested. Federal prosecutors have called for a maximum sentence.
US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson agreed and sentenced the young man to more than seven years in prison.
But there was a little more just beneath the surface. Indeed, yesterday the judge in charge of this case, whose name is not used to willingly torture fools, took the opportunity to put the proceedings into context.
"They are not accused of supporting Trump," Jackson told Young. "He has not been arrested or charged and has not been convicted. He exercised his First Amendment rights. He is not a political prisoner ... He tried to prevent a peaceful transfer of power, the only thing the US does. That is which means "stop the flight".
However, as Politico points out, a federal judge has reprimanded the Republican leaders responsible for the attacks on the defendant and others.
The attorney was impressed by how "one man" Republican leaders are, to the point that it's "heresy" for Republicans to question Trump's campaign lies.
There is certainly a school of thought that suggests that judges avoid such comments and make them more interesting when they do.
As already mentioned, others have ventured down this path. For example, in November 2021, Judge Amit Mehta ruled that the author responded to Trump's Jan. 6 subpoena as John Lolos.
Mehta added, "People like Mr Lolos have been lied to and lied to and stolen from, it was clearly not our choice." The people who arrived here today created the circumstances that led to Mr Lolos turning 30 on January 6, 2007 days in prison. His actions and his words.
Addressing the accused directly, the judge continued, "In a way, Mr. Lollos, I believe you were a pimp." You were a fan of a game played by people who know better. I think it will lower their morale.
A Politico report at the time added that Mehta wondered aloud why the other judges weren't focusing more on the former president and the mental intoxication of the rioters.
The judge said: "When you hear people who should know better tell you the election is rigged and keep repeating it, it's no wonder people believe it."
Five months after a jury convicted another troublemaker on Jan. 6, US District Judge Reggie Walton shared some post-sentencing thoughts. "We have quacks, like our former president, I think we have quacks who only care about power," the Conservative MP said.
According to Politico, Jackson said yesterday that it is the justice system that will help define the limits of democracy's dangers.
Jackson said, "[The judiciary] should be clear: It's not patriotism, it's not a defense of America that someone who knows full well he's lost tried to overthrow the Constitution," he said.
This article originally appeared on MSNBC.com.
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