Red Line riders take note: Judge says alleged putschist can ride that part of the T again

A federal judge in Washington DC has ruled that Mark Sahady, facing charges there for his alleged participation in the failed Jan. 6 coup, is free to move about Massachusetts again - and that includes riding the Red Line as it passes under the grounds of the State House or even just going for a pleasant stroll among the geese he thinks flock on the Common.

When Mark Sahady of Malden was arrested following the break up of the Y'all Queda smash-and-grab, he was initially arraigned in federal court in Boston, where a judge ordered him to stay away from the State House and from any political rallies - like, oh, the ones he had helped organize in the past on the Common and Beacon Street.

His case was transferred to DC federal court, where a judge issued his own, less restrictive pre-trial conditions: Sahady only had to notify a federal probation office if he wanted to leave the state. Due to Covid-19, Sahady was allowed to stay here and participate in court hearings by Zoom.

Sahady then petitioned that judge to order the initial Massachusetts restrictions void:

For example, how does one "stay away" from the Massachusetts State House? Boston's subway, the "T," traverses the substrata beneath the State House. Would Defendant violate the order by taking that line of the T? The State House is adjacent to the Boston Commons - home to aggressive geese and frequented by city residents and visitors alike. Did the Massachusetts court intend to bar Defendant from this popular and storied public space?

On Monday, DC District Court Judge Carl Nichols agreed with the request, ruling that the initial Massachusetts conditions no longer apply and that Sahady can roam the Commonwealth at will.