Steve Bannon, a close associate of Donald Trump, has attempted to avoid jail time by requesting to remain out of prison while he challenges his conviction for ignoring a subpoena from the House committee looking into the assault on the US Capitol. However, the federal appeals court panel denied his request, and when Bannon reports to jail on July 1st, he will serve a four-month term for contempt of Congress.
Trump's nominee for U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols approved the prosecution's plea earlier this month to imprison Bannon after the upholding of his conviction by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Bannon's attorneys requested that the appeals court grant him a stay of execution so that, should the need arise, he may contest the conviction all the way to the Supreme Court. The D.C. Circuit panel decided by a vote of 2-1 that Bannon's case "does not warrant a departure from the general rule" that conviction-based sentencing begins immediately after the conviction.
Judges Bradley Garcia, a nomination for President Joe Biden, and Cornelia Pillard, a nominee for former President Barack Obama, ruled in favor of Bannon's jail sentence. In a dissenting opinion, Trump's nominee Judge Justin Walker said that he should not be required to serve out his sentence before the Supreme Court determines whether to hear his case.
Bannon's conviction for two counts of contempt of Congress dates back almost two years. The first was for his refusal to appear for a deposition before the House Committee on January 6, and the second was for his failure to turn over documents pertaining to his participation in efforts by Republican Donald Trump to reverse his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
Trump's nominee for U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols approved the prosecution's plea earlier this month to imprison Bannon after the upholding of his conviction by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Bannon's attorneys requested that the appeals court grant him a stay of execution so that, should the need arise, he may contest the conviction all the way to the Supreme Court. The D.C. Circuit panel decided by a vote of 2-1 that Bannon's case "does not warrant a departure from the general rule" that conviction-based sentencing begins immediately after the conviction.
Judges Bradley Garcia, a nomination for President Joe Biden, and Cornelia Pillard, a nominee for former President Barack Obama, ruled in favor of Bannon's jail sentence. In a dissenting opinion, Trump's nominee Judge Justin Walker said that he should not be required to serve out his sentence before the Supreme Court determines whether to hear his case.
Bannon's conviction for two counts of contempt of Congress dates back almost two years. The first was for his refusal to appear for a deposition before the House Committee on January 6, and the second was for his failure to turn over documents pertaining to his participation in efforts by Republican Donald Trump to reverse his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
