Steve Bannon asks Supreme Court to throw out contempt conviction

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Hill

10/13/25 12:12 PM ET


Onetime Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon is asking the Supreme Court to toss his contempt of Congress conviction imposed after he failed to comply with the demands of the now-disbanded Jan. 6 committee. Bannon served a four-month prison sentence for not appearing for a deposition ordered by the committee and refusing to turn over documents they subpoenaed.

He has finished serving his sentence, but Bannon’s appeal seeks to wipe the conviction from his record and heighten the standard for bringing future contempt cases. “Political winds change, but the requirements for criminal prosecution should not—least of all when it comes to a statute fraught with implications for the separation of powers,” the petition reads.

The petition was submitted Friday but has not yet been publicly docketed. The Hill received a copy from Bannon’s lawyers. The Supreme Court is set to consider taking up the appeal later this term, after the government has an opportunity to respond in writing. It comes after the Supreme Court refused White House trade adviser Peter Navarro’s emergency bid last year to delay his prison sentence while he appeals his similar contempt conviction.

Bannon’s appeal largely revolves around his attorney’s advice to delay compliance with the Jan. 6 committee until executive privilege disputes were resolved. To be guilty of contempt, the statute mandates Bannon must have “willfully” ignored the committee. Bannon says he relied on his attorney and didn’t know his conduct was unlawful, so it wasn’t willful. But lower courts ruled the government only needed to prove the refusal to comply was intentional, regardless of why.

Read more: https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5553047-bannon-appeals-supreme-court/