The United States Supreme Court has cleared the way for the Justice Department to move forward with dismissing a criminal case against Steve Bannon, a key ally of President Donald Trump, who was convicted after refusing to testify or provide documents to Congress despite being issued a subpoena.

The department’s request to drop Bannon’s case was one of ‌multiple actions it has taken that have benefited allies and supporters of the Republican president since Trump returned to office last year.

Bannon served a four-month prison sentence after being convicted in 2022 on two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to provide documents or testify to the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters.

Trump’s Justice Department, in urging the Supreme Court to toss the lower court’s decision, told the justices in court papers that it has determined that dismissing Bannon’s case “is in the interests of justice”. The department had already filed a motion to dismiss the case at the trial court level.

Evan Corcoran, a lawyer for Bannon, welcomed the Supreme Court’s action on Monday.

“It has been one battle after another for five years, but today the Supreme Court vacated an unjust conviction, and in doing so validated a fundamental rule – like oil and water, politics and prosecution don’t mix,” Corcoran said.

A dismissal would remove Bannon’s conviction from the record, but would have little practical impact because he has already served his sentence.

Who is Steve Bannon?

Bannon, 72, served as a key adviser to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and his chief White House strategist in 2017 during Trump’s first term in office before a falling out between them that was later patched up.

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Bannon was released from prison a week before Trump’s victory over Democrat Kamala ‌Harris in ⁠the 2024 US presidential election.

Bannon cast himself as a political prisoner and told reporters upon his release, “I am far from broken. I have been empowered by my four months at Danbury federal prison.”

Bannon resumed hosting his “War Room” podcast.

A firebrand, Bannon helped articulate the “America First” right-wing populism and stout opposition to immigration that has helped define Trump’s presidency.

Bannon has played an instrumental role in right-wing media, promoting right-wing causes and candidates in the US and abroad.

Lawyers for Bannon raised various legal arguments to contest the subpoena, including issues related to executive privilege, a legal principle that lets a president keep certain communications private, and the congressional committee’s authority to issue the subpoena.

Trump also pardoned many people convicted in connection with the January 6 US Capitol riot, as well as several political allies facing other criminal cases related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election, which Trump lost to former US President Joe Biden.