District Judge Maryellen Noreika has granted approval to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) request to drop charges against Hunter Biden in Delaware on Thursday, allowing prosecutors to refile the charges in a different jurisdiction.
Last week, federal prosecutors submitted a motion explaining that Hunter Biden’s case was likely to proceed to trial and sought to dismiss the Delaware charges due to a deadlock in plea negotiations. They argued that the appropriate venues for the tax-related charges were either the Central District of California or the District of Columbia.
Initially, Hunter Biden had agreed to a plea deal involving two misdemeanor tax charges and a diversion arrangement to avoid imprisonment for a felony gun offense. However, the deal fell apart during a hearing on July 26, when Judge Noreika discovered a section in the diversion agreement that promised broad immunity for potential future charges.
If charges are filed in a different district, Hunter Biden’s case would be overseen by a judge other than Noreika. She was appointed by former President Donald Trump in 2018 and confirmed with the support of Delaware’s Democratic senators.
Responding to the DOJ’s motion, Republican Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton tweeted last week, “Biden’s DOJ wants to dismiss