The judge, Dabney L. Friedrich, chided the department for the way in which it had “abruptly reversed its position” on the issue “with virtually no explanation.”

Defendants who picked up more charges while being arrested for Jan. 6 argue that Trump’s pardon extends to those too. The Justice Department agrees in most cases.

A federal judge has denied the Justice Department’s attempt to apply President Donald Trump’s blanket pardon for members of the Jan. 6 mob at the Capitol to one defendant’s conviction for possessing illegal guns hundreds of miles away,