A federal appeals court rejected the claims of a former New York City Police Department officer who claimed he couldn't get an impartial trial in Washington, D.C., after he was convicted of assaulting a police officer during the Jan. 6, 2021, unrest, CBS News reported.
Thomas Webster had his conviction upheld unanimously by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Tuesday. Webster argued Washington, D.C., was too Democratic, too tied to the federal government and too surrounded by news coverage of the attack on the Capitol, according to CBS News.
Webster wanted his case moved elsewhere, but a federal district court denied his request, CBS News said. He was sentenced to 10 years in jail for his involvement in the attack.
Judges said nothing in the jury pool suggested they knew who Webster was or had preconceived notions about him and that he failed to prove Washington, D.C.'s, jury pool could not be unbiased, according to CBS News.
The judges who made the ruling were appointed by both former President Barack Obama and former President Donald Trump.
"The political inclinations of a populace writ large say nothing about an individual's ability to serve impartially in adjudicating the criminal conduct of an individual," Judge Patricia Millett wrote in her ruling.
Webster argued a poll of 400 registered D.C. voters had a negative impression of those arrested in connection with the events of Jan. 6, but the judges didn't buy his argument, CBS News said.
"Webster's focus on the jury pool's opinion of January 6th and its perpetrators misses the point," Millett wrote. "Generalized disapproval of criminal conduct … says nothing about a juror's ability to be impartial in deciding whether a particular individual committed a crime or not."
On Jan. 6, Webster, wearing body armor and carrying a Marine Corps flag, confronted police outside the Capitol and was involved in an altercation with a member of the Metropolitan Police, CBS News said.
Webster knocked the officer to the ground and punched his gas mask into his face, according to CBS News.
He was convicted of assaulting a police officer and using a dangerous weapon.
Other Jan. 6 defendants have asked to have their cases moved out of D.C., though their requests were denied, CBS News said. Trump has also argued he could not get an impartial trial in D.C., where he awaits trial on charges of trying to thwart the transfer of presidential power after the 2020 election. Trump has pleaded not guilty.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.