The U.S. Supreme Court has issued an order that effectively sets the stage for Steve Bannon's contempt of Congress conviction to be dismissed, sending the case back to a lower federal court for final resolution.
Bannon, a former White House strategist and prominent ally of Donald Trump, was convicted in 2022 for defying congressional subpoenas related to the investigation of the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. He had already served a four-month prison sentence at a low-security facility in Connecticut, making any potential dismissal largely symbolic.
The brief, unsigned Supreme Court order referenced "the pending motion to dismiss the indictment," signaling judicial alignment with the Trump administration's request to drop the case in "the interests of justice."
An appeals court had previously upheld the jury's verdict, but Monday's Supreme Court decision overturns that ruling and directs the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., to reconsider the matter. The government has already filed a motion to dismiss in the lower court, which will now proceed as instructed.
Bannon, who played a key role in Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and later hosted the influential "War Room" podcast, has remained a vocal supporter of the former president. The Biden administration had prosecuted the case, and the Supreme Court had earlier declined to intervene in Bannon's jail sentence.
Last year, Bannon petitioned the Supreme Court to review his case after losing in lower courts. The Trump administration did not oppose the effort, with U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer stating that dismissing the prosecution served the interests of justice.