12 Trials. No Felony-Assault Convictions. AP Examines the Protest Cases.
AP reports that 41% of 102 felony-assault cases against protesters were dismissed, 34% ended in misdemeanor pleas, 10 defendants pleaded guilty to felonies and none of the 12 cases that reached trial produced a felony-assault conviction. Former prosecutors and law professors quoted by AP questioned whether rushed investigations and aggressive charging contributed to the results.
Response / context
The Justice Department told AP that prosecutors were right to prioritize alleged assaults on federal officers, that each case depended on its facts and that charges should be reduced or dropped when mitigating evidence emerged. Three felony-assault trials remained pending, and AP also records felony guilty pleas and other convictions. Bondi's profile is linked because AP quotes her enforcement warning; the report does not allege that she selected charges in individual cases.
Dates and scope
Source publication: Sep 12, 2026 · time not supplied
Event or conduct: 2026-09-12. AP published the disposition review on September 12; the underlying arrests and prosecutions span the prior year, and three trials remained pending.
Dated report. Publication, event and review times are different.
This brief preserves the available response and disposition. Coverage is non-exhaustive. How we review sources.
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Read the original sources
- Associated Press: As DOJ went after protesters for felony assault, juries and judges were unconvinced ↗
Published September 12 · data review and direct article text read; exact publication time unavailable
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