Jan. 6 riot lawyer's illness throws wrench in several cases

A salient blimpish lawyer representing much than a twelve defendants charged successful the Jan. 6 riot astatine the U.S. Capitol is earnestly sick and hasn’t appeared successful tribunal for much than a week, throwing immoderate cases into disarray.

Attorney John Pierce has been sending an subordinate — who is not licensed to signifier instrumentality — to look earlier judges successful his absence. Pierce's unwellness has near immoderate clients without counsel for the clip being and is putting the cases astatine a “standstill,” prosecutors said successful tribunal papers this week.

On Thursday successful 1 of Pierce’s cases successful national tribunal successful Washington, a justice said helium would name an lawyer who could counsel the lawsuit successful Pierce’s absence. That was aft the subordinate astatine Pierce’s instrumentality firm, who is not licensed arsenic a lawyer and faces transgression charges himself successful different matter, was incapable to accidental erstwhile Pierce mightiness beryllium capable to return.

At a proceeding aboriginal Thursday for Pierce’s newest client, Pierce's subordinate was joined by a licensed lawyer helium said helium had recovered to measurement successful until Pierce returns.

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Prosecutors repeatedly raised concerns this week that Pierce's lack and the actions of his associate, Ryan Marshall, connected the attorney's behalf could origin problems successful his cases, saying that Marshall had already done things helium wasn't allowed to do.

“Although Mr. Marshall has present appeared respective times successful Mr. Pierce’s place, helium is not a licensed lawyer and frankincense cannot look successful this Court, correspond Mr. Pierce’s clients, oregon supply them with ineligible proposal oregon services,” they wrote successful 1 filing.

They besides said it's “unclear if and erstwhile Mr. Marshall volition beryllium capable to get a barroom license” since helium is facing felony transgression charges including fraud successful Pennsylvania authorities court.

Phone numbers for Pierce’s instrumentality steadfast did not look to beryllium moving Thursday and it was not instantly wide however to scope Marshall.

Marshall told a justice Thursday successful the lawsuit against a Kentucky man, Peter Schwartz, that Pierce remains hospitalized but is starting to consciousness amended and expects to beryllium released wrong a week. He didn't elaborate connected Pierce's illness, but Marshall told a authoritative past week that 1 of Pierce's friends informed him that the lawyer was sick with the coronavirus portion different person told him helium was not, according to tribunal documents.

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“We're successful a hard presumption here,” U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta told Schwartz. “You are entitled to counsel and you person retained Mr. Pierce. Mr. Pierce intelligibly is not disposable contiguous and it is not wide to maine erstwhile helium is going to beryllium available."

Among Pierce's different clients is Kenneth Harrelson, who is charged alongside different members and associates of the far-right Oath Keepers extremist radical successful possibly the astir high-profile lawsuit brought truthful acold successful the Jan. 6 attack. Harrelson and the different Oath Keepers are accused of conspiring to artifact the certification of President Joe Biden's victory.

Pierce has besides been hired by respective members of the Proud Boys charged successful the Jan. 6 riot.

Nearly 600 radical person been charged successful the events of Jan. 6. Supporters of President Donald Trump stormed past constabulary barriers and sent lawmakers moving arsenic they were gathering to certify Biden's Electoral College win. Fifty defendants person pleaded blameworthy truthful far.

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