Five years after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, a handful of Democratic House members and Capitol Police officers are among those still seeking to use civil lawsuits to hold President Donald Trump accountable for his role in the events.
In the years since those cases were originally filed, the legal and political landscape has changed. The Justice Department brought criminal charges against Trump over the attack, but the Supreme Court gutted the case when it ruled that presidents largely are immune from federal prosecution for official acts.
And Trump’s reelection resulted in the dismissal of the criminal case and a chance to use the power of his office to snuff out the civil lawsuits accusing him of spurring the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.
