Court: Capitol riot was not free speech

A federal judge ruled the Proud Boys group is not protected by the First Amendment right to free speech over their participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

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National News

December 29, 2021 - 9:10 AM

Proud Boys organizer Joseph Randall Biggs, 37, second from left front, was spotted among a crowd of pro-Trump extremists who later stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, FBI agents said. (Image from FBI affidavit/TNS)

WASHINGTON — The First Amendment right to free speech doesn’t protect four leaders of the right-wing Proud Boys group from criminal charges over their participation in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot, a federal judge ruled.

The men were properly charged with conduct that isn’t protected by the Constitution, including trespassing, destruction of property and interference with law enforcement — all with the intention of obstructing Congress, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly in Washington ruled Tuesday.

The motion to dismiss was filed by Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Charles Donohoe, who respectively led local Proud Boys chapters in Washington state, Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, according to prosecutors.

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