Justice Department Falters in Protest Felony Cases Across 4 Cities
AP analysis found 41% of cases were dismissed and 34% were reduced to misdemeanors, underscoring weak results in protest prosecutions.
- The Justice Department failed to secure felony assault convictions against most of the 102 protesters arrested last year on charges of assaulting federal authorities, a record far below the norm in federal assault prosecutions.
- Then-Attorney General Pam Bondi warned of "severe consequences" for those interfering with federal law enforcement, spurring prosecutors to bring aggressive charges during protests in Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, and Washington.
- All dozen cases that made it to trial, mostly in Los Angeles, ended in acquittal, mistrial, or dismissal; Jonathan Caravello, a California State University Channel Islands lecturer, was acquitted after a three-day trial.
- Former federal prosecutor Mary Fan questioned "whether or not these charges should have ever been brought in the first place," citing the government's rare failure to win felony assault convictions at trial.
- These results reflect broader setbacks in politically charged investigations, where grand juries have repeatedly refused to return indictments and trial juries have increasingly granted acquittals across the Justice Department's docket.
32 Articles
32 Articles
DOJ went after protesters in Chicago and other cities for felony assault, but failed to get convictions
The Associated Press' analysis focused on arrests made during protests last summer and fall in LA, Chicago, Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C. — cities with significant protests where President Donald Trump sought to or successfully deployed the National Guard.
PBS NewsHour
BizTocAP analysis: Justice Department went after protesters for felony assault, but juries and judges were unconvinced
The Associated Press' analysis focused on arrests made during protests last summer and fall in LA, Chicago, Portland and Washington, D.C. — cities with significant protests where President Donald Trump sought to or successfully deployed the National Guard.
U.S. juries and judges unconvinced by DOJ charges against protestors
The U.S. Justice Department failed to secure felony convictions against most of the 102 protesters arrested in four major cities last year on charges of assaulting federal authorities — a record far below the norm in federal assault prosecutions.
Associated Press News
As DOJ went after protesters for felony assault, juries and judges were unconvinced
The U.S. Justice Department has struggled to secure felony convictions against most of the 102 protesters arrested since last year for assaulting federal authorities in four major cities.
Analysis: As DOJ went after protesters for felony assault, juries and judges were unconvinced
The U.S. Justice Department has struggled to secure felony convictions against most of the 102 protesters arrested since last year for assaulting federal authorities in four major cities
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