TOPEKA — Federal judge granted request delay the hearing The story of a Topeka man who obstructed officers during the attack on the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021.

William Pope, who is representing himself in the case charging him with federal crimes in connection with his actions on January 6, requested that the trial be postponed until November 8, citing President-elect Donald Trump’s victory and concerns about a fair jury.

During his third presidential campaign, Trump promised to pardon the criminally charged attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6 if he was re-elected. Pope was one of many defendants who sought to amend the case after Trump’s win.

Judge Rudolph Contreras of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., favored Pope’s arguments at a hearing Thursday, which resulted in Contreras granting Pope’s request to postpone the hearing.

A new trial date has not been set.

Contreras said he evaluates suggestions like Pope’s on a case-by-case basis. According to the official transcript of Thursday’s hearing.

In his original motion, Pope argued that his jury “consisted of the entire American public, and they voted to release me.” He also expressed concern that his case would not be heard by a fair jury because the vast majority of D.C. residents voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

In the transcript, Contreras said he focused on preserving resources for the parties to the case, the court and potential jurors or witnesses.

“I don’t want them to bring in 70 or so people just to have it go to waste, which is actually possible,” Contreras said. “It’s speculative, of course, but there’s a real possibility of this happening.”

Federal prosecutors opposed any delay. Benet Kearney of the U.S. Attorney’s Office said at Thursday’s hearing that the case could be heard effectively if it proceeds as planned. Instead, Benet said, Pope’s “insistence on going down some kind of side rabbit hole that has the potential to drag this out.”

“So this is a situation the defendant made up, you know?” he said.

Pope’s case has been ongoing since he was charged in February 2021, jailed in Shawnee County that same month, and released on his own recognizance in early March 2021. The July 2024 trial date was postponed to weigh the possible impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 2024. June dropped charges against a former Pennsylvania police officer who also participated in the Jan. 6 attack.

The parties are scheduled to meet again in December to determine a future trial date.