The DOJ aims to prevent Jan. 6 defendants from attending the Trump inauguration.

Federal judges are being urged by attorneys from the Department of Justice to reject petitions from at least two Jan. 6 defendants seeking permission to return to the nation's capital for President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.

Despite being convicted of four misdemeanors and pleading guilty to a felony conspiracy charge, Cindy Young and Russell Taylor both requested permission to return to Washington, D.C., in violation of their sentences' provisions that mandate them to stay away.

"Despite Young's claim that she poses no threat to the community, U.S. attorneys stated that she presents a danger to the D.C. community, including law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The federal attorneys cited Young's calls for retribution against those involved in January 6 prosecutions and argued that she has failed to recognize the seriousness of her actions."

Attorneys at the Department of Justice are challenging a request from Taylor, who was invited to attend the inauguration by members of Utah's congressional delegation, to "return to the scene of the crime" due to the serious nature of his crimes.

The U.S. attorneys wrote in a filing to U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth that the defendant is seeking the Court's approval to return to the location of the crime and that the Court should not overlook his past criminal behavior on Capitol grounds. The attorneys also stated in their court filing that they had previously granted travel requests to other defendants involved in the Capitol siege, but these approvals were only for employment purposes and did not involve traveling to the nation's capital.

Another Jan. 6 defendant, Eric Peterson, who was convicted of a misdemeanor in November for his involvement in the Capitol riot but has yet to be sentenced, was granted permission by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to attend Trump's swearing-in ceremony, according to Peterson's criminal case docket. Notably, the docket did not contain any responses from the Department of Justice opposing Chutkan's decision.

It is unclear whether Trump will grant pardons to any, some, or all of the defendants convicted of crimes due to their participation in the 2021 U.S. Capitol siege.

Trump has indicated that he will reserve pardons for those who remained peaceful on the day of the event, but at other times he has suggested a blanket pardon for all those convicted. However, one thing that Trump has consistently maintained is that the pardons will be issued promptly after his inauguration on January 20, 2025.

The Department of Justice declined to comment for this story.