‘Unique Stew in His Mind’: Judge Acquits Jan. 6 Defendant On One Count After Arguing He Had No Idea Congress Was in Session

Justice Department

A defendant facing various charges for his role in the storming of the U.S. Capital on Jan. 6, 2021, was acquitted on one of the lesser charges against him Friday after he successfully argued he had no knowledge Congress was in session.

Joshua Black was convicted Friday on charges of entering restricted Capitol grounds with a deadly weapon and disorderly/disruptive conduct in the Capitol with a dangerous weapon. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson found Black, who was armed with a knife that day, not guilty of the crime of obstructing an official proceeding.

According to Politico’s Kyle Cheney, Black avoided a conviction after he convinced the court he stormed the Capitol with no knowledge Congress was in the process of certifying the 2020 election results. Judge Jackson found the “unique stew in his mind” made it impossible to tell what Black understood about the proceedings on Jan. 6 and Cheney noted that the government made no argument otherwise.

After the Justice Department identified Black as having been on the Senate floor, investigators found a YouTube channel of the suspect discussing his actions on Jan. 6.

In a video posted on Jan. 8, the suspect said, “Once we found out [Mike Pence] turned on us and that they had stolen the election like officially, the crowd went crazy. I mean, it became a mob. We crossed the gate.”

Black added, “We just wanted to get inside the building. I wanted to get inside the building so I could plead the blood of Jesus over it. That was my goal.”

He also said he was in possession of a knife, but said he never intended to pull it out. He explained he uses one for utility purposes and also felt defenseless since he was unable to carry a gun in Washington, D.C.

Black, who is from Alabama, was identified within days of the Capitol attack after his picture was posted online by the DOJ.