Supreme Court Opens Door for DOJ to Dismiss Steve Bannon Contempt Conviction

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday issued a two‑sentence order that vacated a D.C. Circuit panel’s ruling upholding Steve Bannon’s 2022 criminal contempt conviction for refusing a subpoena issued by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack.

The order does not itself dismiss the indictment. Instead, it remands the case to the district court in Washington, D.C., where the Justice Department has filed a motion to dismiss the charge, arguing that dismissal is “in the interests of justice.”

The request was made jointly by Bannon and the Trump administration’s Justice Department. If granted, the conviction that led to a four‑month prison term would be erased.

Legal commentators note that while the Supreme Court’s step clears a procedural hurdle, it leaves open the substantive question of whether a former White House adviser can lawfully ignore a congressional subpoena. The lower courts will now decide whether the indictment will be dropped entirely, a decision that could have broader implications for congressional oversight and executive privilege.