Hunter Biden gun case terminated after pardon, but Delaware judge stops short of full dismissal
The federal judge overseeing Hunter Biden’s gun trial terminated further court proceedings in his case Tuesday, in wake of President Joe Biden’s sweeping pardon that shields his son from being prosecuted for all offenses that he “has committed or may have committed” from Jan. 1, 2014, through Dec. 1, 2024.
U.S. Judge Maryellen Noreika, the presiding judge in Biden’s trial in Delaware, announced Tuesday the termination of all further proceedings in the case, citing the clemency grant signed by outgoing President Joe Biden.
Judge Noreika stopped short of dismissing the case outright, however, as requested by Hunter’s legal team.
A Delaware jury found Hunter guilty this summer on all three federal felony firearm charges that had been brought before the court by prosecutors.
BIDEN’S SWEEPING HUNTER PARDON AT ODDS WITH LONGTIME RHETORIC ON EXECUTIVE POWER: ‘NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW’
FILE – President Joe Biden, wearing a Team USA jacket and walking with his son Hunter Biden, heads toward Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
Prior to the sweeping pardon announcement, his sentencing date had been scheduled for Dec. 12.
In announcing the pardon, President Joe Biden criticized the unfair investigation and prosecution of his son, a process he said was “infected” by politics and led to a “miscarriage of justice.”
“No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son — and that is wrong,” the president said in a statement Sunday.
But some critics also noted the pardon broke with Biden’s longtime promises not to pardon his son, and risks further eroding the public’s view of the Justice Department.
Hunter also pleaded guilty on tax evasion charges in California, which the pardon also covers.
Hunter Biden is seen in this June 2024 photo in Wilmington, Delaware, during his trial on felony gun charges. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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The judge in that case, Judge Mark Scarsi, has not yet announced whether he will terminate the proceedings against Hunter or dismiss the case in full.
This is a breaking news story. Check back soon for updates.
