United States

Activist Who Faced Prison Time for Senate Hearing Laugh Gets New Trial Instead

"it's a small kind of a win. It just seems like an absurd waste of tax dollars," Desiree Fairooz said

A judge has overturned the conviction of a woman found to have disrupted Congress by laughing during Attorney General Jeff Sessions' confirmation hearing and ordered a new trial, NBC News reported.

Desiree Fairooz, a 61-year-old Code Pink activist, allegedly chuckled twice during the Jan. 10 hearing when Sessions, then a U.S. senator, was described as having a record of "treating all Americans equally under the law is clear and well-documented," according to court documents. Fellow activists characterized it as a reflex to an absurd statement.

Fairooz was facing up to six months in prison, but a District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Robert E. Morin ordered a new trial on Friday, court officials said. Fairooz said had an issue with the conviction.

"Well, I can’t say relieved. I’m not happy about [the re-trial] but I guess, in a way, it’s a small kind of a win. It just seems like an absurd waste of tax dollars," Fairooz said.

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