A Judge Gave Oath Keepers Seditionists A Slap on the Wrist. Here's Why the DOJ Could Successfully Change That.
Judge Amit P. Mehta Judge Amit Mehta is a relatively uninspiring judge, an immigrant from India who spent the brunt of his career practicing corporate law and who was appointed to the D.C. District Court by President Barack Obama in 2014, enjoying bipartisan support for his confirmation. He seemed to recognize the historic nature of his presiding over the Oath Keepers case and openly called Stewart Rhodes a threat to democracy after Rhodes gave a speech at his sentencing continuing his narrative that he is some modern American version of Nelson Mandela. All seemed to be going well at sentencing as Judge Mehta announced that the guidelines in Stewart Rhodes' case would be 21 to 27 years in prison, exactly in line with the 25 years the Justice Department had asked for. Then, Mehta sentenced Stewart Rhodes to 18 years in prison, well below the sentencing guidelines. Stewart Rhodes, Judge Mehta said, was a threat to American democracy, an organizer and a terrorist who had en