BANNON SERVED SENTENCE, NOW SEEKING A DO-OVER

In a perfectly normal and not-at-all theatrical bit of Washington jurisprudence, the Supreme Court has cleared the way for the Trump administration to try to dismiss Steve Bannon’s contempt case after he already did the time, paid the fine, and generally completed the full “consequences, but make it symbolic” package. Bannon was convicted in 2022 for blowing off congressional subpoenas tied to the Jan. 6 attack, lost his appeal, served four months in 2024, and still gets one more curtain call because the administration now says tossing the conviction would be “in the interests of justice,” which in this town apparently means justice, but with better branding. The case now goes back to a district judge, leaving everyone to admire the elegance of a system that can spend years confirming a jury verdict only to consider un-confirming it later, like bureaucracy playing hot potato with a gavel.