Back in 2022, general counsel of the far-right militia Oath Keepers, Kellye SoRelle, was indicted on four federal counts including obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiring to obstruct that proceeding, entering restricted grounds, and obstruction of justice for activities related to the January 6th coup attempt. SoRelle pleaded guilty to a felony charge of obstruction of justice and a misdemeanor charge of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds in August.
Though SoRelle did not enter the Capitol building on January 6th, prosecutors say she encouraged others to destroy evidence to conceal their involvement. In a new sentencing memo, prosecutors are seeking 16 months in jail and three years of supervised release for the attorney, noting, “SoRelle’s efforts to obstruct the investigation into the attack on the Capitol, like her participation in the attack itself, show a disdain for the rule of law that merits the government’s recommended sentence.”
SoRelle will be sentenced January 17th, just before Donald Trump’s pardon power kicks back in. Trump had promised to pardon those convicted of January 6th-related crimes. But J.D. Vance has already admitted “there’s a little bit of a gray area” regarding who will get pardons.
SoRelle, a family lawyer and failed GOP candidate for the Texas House of Representatives, is no stranger to controversy. She also announced that, in addition to her role as general counsel for the Oath Keepers, she was taking over acting president duties when leader (and Yale Law alum) Stewart Rhodes was sent to prison for 18 years for his own January 6th activities.
SoRelle also made news when she, along with fired associate general counsel at Goosehead Insurance. Paul Davis, filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. (That lawsuit garnered a lot of LOLs in legal circles when they filed an amended TRO motion using the completely fictional experiences of Gondor — as in The Lord of the Rings — as precedent. While the case was ultimately dismissed, there was apparently a split amongst the plaintiffs regarding what strategy to pursue.)
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].