Judge threatens lawyer who represented Jan. 6 defendants over fake information

U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, D.C. threatened a lawyer known for representing Jan. 6 defendants after she invented facts.

Politico legal reporter Kyle Cheney posted a screen capture of a court filing in which Mehta alleges lawyer Carolyn Stewart included false information in her cases.

"Counsel of record for defendant Kelly Meggs, Carolyn A. Stewart, shall show cause by Oct. 21, 2025, why the court should not impose sanctions and make a referral to relevant bar authorities for 'knowingly mak[ing] a false statement of ... law to a tribunal or failing' to correct a false statement of ... law previously made to the tribunal by the lawyer," wrote the judge, citing the Rules for Professional Conduct.

He detailed a July 11 filing in which a motion was filed with "fabricated citations to this District Court's Local Civil Rules." After quoting the fake citations, the judge said, "These rules do not exist."

"The opposition also includes fabricated block quotations purporting to recite the text of" a different rule, the filing said.

The judge went on to demand how the fake quotes came about and why she didn't take immediate steps to have the record corrected.