DOJ Wants Ashli Babbitt Lawsuit Moved To Friendly DC

The Department of Justice’s recent move to transfer the wrongful death lawsuit of Ashli Babbitt from California to Washington, DC, has sparked controversy and drawn criticism from conservative circles and Judicial Watch, the legal watchdog organization representing Babbitt’s family. 

Babbitt, 35 at the time of her death, was an Air Force veteran and small business owner from San Diego. She was fatally shot through a door inside the Capitol building by Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd on Jan. 6, 2021. She was unarmed and not acting in a physically threatening manner.

Judicial Watch has been at the forefront of challenging the DOJ’s request, arguing that relocating the trial to DC would place the case in a “hostile forum” prejudiced against the Jan. 6 defendants and, by extension, unjustly against Babbitt. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Babbitt’s husband, Aaron, and her estate, seeks $30 million in damages, alleging wrongful death and assault and battery by Lt. Byrd.

It is obvious that the DOJ fight over venue is part of the Biden administration’s efforts to influence the outcome of the case and to keep control of the narrative around Jan. 6 inside the beltway. Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, stated, “The Biden DOJ wants to move the Ashli Babbitt wrongful death lawsuit to DC because it knows the courts here are notoriously hostile to anyone tied to the January 6 protests.”

Many view the DOJ’s attempt to move the case to Washington as a purely strategic move. This move wrongfully associates Babbitt with the broader establishment narrative surrounding Jan. 6 and holds the case before a friendly judge and jury. Judicial Watch’s argument emphasizes the need for a trial in a location that does not bear the weight of political and social bias against defendants associated with Jan. 6 in order to ensure the best chance at a fair trial. They add that under federal law, the case is properly brought in the federal district where the deceased victim lived.