Judge Orders Steve Bannon to Prison by July 1

Steve Bannon must report to prison by July 1 to serve his four-month sentence for defying a congressional subpoena, a federal judge ruled Thursday. US District Judge Carl Nichols granted prosecutors' request to make the longtime ally of Donald Trump begin serving his prison term after a federal appeals court upheld his contempt of Congress conviction, per the AP. But Nichols also made clear in his ruling that Bannon could seek a stay of his order, which could delay his surrender date.

Nichols, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, had initially allowed Bannon to remain free while he fought his conviction. Last month, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit said all of Bannon's challenges lack merit. Still, Bannon has vowed to appeal all the way to the Supreme Court and had argued that he should be allowed to remain free while doing so, per the Hill.

Bannon was convicted in 2022 of two counts of contempt of Congress: one for refusing to sit for a deposition with the Jan. 6 House Committee and the other for refusing to provide documents related to his involvement in Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Bannon's lawyer at trial argued that the charges were politically motivated and that the former adviser didn't ignore the subpoena but was still engaged in good-faith negotiations with the congressional committee when he was charged. (More Steve Bannon stories.)