A federal judge on Tuesday granted a request from the Justice Department to drop criminal charges against eight members of the Oath Keepers, who were charged with seditious conspiracy for their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, protest at the U.S. Capitol. 

Amit P. Mehta said he wanted "a different ending" to the ongoing saga to prosecute those who participated in the unruly protest, but he was bound by the law to dismiss the case. 

“Today’s epilogue diminishes the gravity of that day, denigrates the work of prosecutors and law enforcement officers who secured these convictions, and excuses criminal acts that caused a centuries-long pillar of our democracy — the peaceful transfer of presidential power — to buckle," Mehta, an Obama appointee, wrote, the New York Times reported. 

The ruling comes less than a month after one of Mehta's colleagues dismissed similar charges against the Proud Boys at the DOJ's request. The judge in that case also said his hands were tied by law, and he was left with no choice but to dismiss the charges.