Federal Judge Appears Ready to Reimpose Jan. 6 ‘Disinformation’ Monitoring

Senior US District Judge Reggie Walton has ordered probationer Daniel Goodwyn to “show cause” for why he should not have the ill-fated computer monitoring reimposed on him. Despite facing criticism from the U.S. Court of Appeals for monitoring a Jan. 6 probationer’s computer use for “disinformation,” Judge Walton in Washington D.C. seems prepared to reinstate the restriction on Goodwyn of Corinth, Texas. The judge has set a hearing date for June 4 to address the issue. Goodwyn’s attorney, Ms. Stewart, argues that the computer monitoring provision should not apply as his misdemeanor trespassing offense on Jan. 6 was unrelated to computer use. She emphasizes that the monitoring should only be relevant if the computer was integral to the crime, which was not the case for Goodwyn. Additionally, she questions the need for monitoring Goodwyn’s journalism and access to Stophate.com. Goodwyn, who attended the Jan. 6 events as a citizen journalist for Stophate.com, pleaded guilty to entering a restricted building on that day. He spent a brief amount of time inside the Capitol building, as shown by security footage. Goodwyn was arrested in January 2021 and faced various charges related to the events of Jan. 6. His post-event speech on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” led to Judge Walton imposing a 60-day prison sentence in 2023 for spreading disinformation. The U.S. Court of Appeals vacated the monitoring provision, stating that Judge Walton erred in imposing it without considering its relevance to sentencing factors and the deprivation of liberty. The court mandated that if Judge Walton still wished to implement computer monitoring, he must provide legal reasoning, develop a supportive record, and ensure compliance with supervised-release laws and constitutional protections. Ms. Stewart believes that the logical step after the Court of Appeals ruling would be to remove the computer monitoring condition from the sentencing judgment order. Can you please rewrite this sentence for me?

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