A defendant who federal prosecutors described as a "key player" in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol has called for a judge to be recused or disqualified because of death threats.
In a 14-page motion filed over the weekend, Matthew Purdy formally requested the recusal of federal Judge Royce Lamberth. Purdy cited concerns over the judge's impartiality due to his public statements regarding the events of Jan. 6.
"Judge Lamberth has more than met the standard for disqualification and/or recusal as a result of his ultra vires public and other statements which clearly evidence extrajudicial bias and prejudice against Mr. Purdy as a J6 Defendant," the motion said.
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The filing pointed to a February story by Reuters that highlighted death threats the judge received after being assigned Jan. 6 cases.
"Judge Lamberth was quoted as saying, 'I could not believe how many death threats I got,' effectively personalizing J-6 cases to his own interests," the document added.
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"It is clear from this published article that the January 6 cases, and the subsequent fallout, have changed Judge Lamberth's outlook on the way he conducts himself as a Judge both on the bench and in his personal life."
Purdy's motion also referenced legal standards that require judges to disqualify themselves in any proceeding where their impartiality might reasonably be questioned. It pointed to past cases where judges were removed for less pronounced biases.
"Mr. Purdy respectfully requests that Judge Lamberth recuse himself from this matter and that this matter is reassigned to a neutral and unbiased arbiter for future proceedings," the filing concluded.
Lamberth recently granted a delay in Purdy's trial along with two co-defendants.