A “woke” Washington DC judge is facing backlash after he opted to cut loose an 18-year-old accused of firing more than two dozen rounds from AR-15 into a car full of people.
Lloyd U. Nolan, Jr., a judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, last week ordered Amonte Moody to be released on house arrest ahead of his trial — despite acknowledging the teen’s alleged actions could have killed someone.
Moody, who was slapped with charges including assault with a dangerous weapon, had allegedly sprayed 26 shots at an SUV carrying four people on Independence Avenue in the early hours of April 22.
Nolan’s decision to still grant the teen pre-trial release in the face of his alleged crime quickly sparked outrage on social media, with many accusing the judge of being a George Soros “puppet” and pointing to his history of “woke” online posts.
Among the Facebook posts the judge had previously shared included a meme in 2019 declaring he was “still woke”, as well as another promoting Black Lives Matter, according to Fox News.
He also previously posted a link showing he’d donated to a Gideon’s Promise fundraiser in 2020 — a group founded via a fellowship from lefty donor George Soros’ Open Society Foundation.
The judge’s social media account was switched to private as the backlash against his recent bail decision mounted.
“This judge is deeply tied to a George Soros organization and has openly posted about identifying as “woke” on his now-private Facebook page,” one social media user griped.
“Soros-funded DAs and judges continue to allow violent criminals to be free on our streets. This isn’t by accident. It’s all part of a plan to cause chaos. Soros and his globalists thugs know they can control people who are in a state of disarray better than those at peace,” another tweeted.
One X user added: “They say AR15s are dangerous, but here the person wielding the AR15 and spraying more than two dozen rounds on a public street, is not dangerous. How can the AR15 be dangerous if the person using it is not a danger to public? Liberal logic.”
Nolan’s decision to set Moody free on house arrest came despite the judge finding probable cause for the case to go to trial.
The judge also repeatedly agreed with prosecutors about the severity of the teen’s alleged crimes, according to a transcript of last Friday’s hearing obtained by WUSA9.
“The concern I have is that this action could have killed someone,” Nolan said at one point.
Moody’s public defender pushed for GPS monitoring and insisted the teen had a supportive family who were willing to keep tabs on him ahead of his trial.
When prosecutors pushed back arguing those options were available to Moody prior to his alleged shooting spree, the judge appeared to agree.
“For something to escalate to the point where you feel you need to go into the middle of the street and let off 26 shots, I don’t know what set of circumstances, short of incarceration, I can find,” Nolan said.
Despite warning he had concern “for the safety of the community”, the judge eventually relented and released Moody on 24/7 house arrest, with GPS ankle monitor, at this stepfather’s house in Maryland.
Prosecutors with the US Attorney’s Office in Washington, DC have since filed an emergency order to reverse the judge’s decision to grant the teen pre-trial release.
The Post reached out to the court but didn’t immediately here back.
