The anti-Trump federal judges are already out in force, spreading a healthy dose of fearmongering ahead of the 2024 election. 

That was evidenced recently as U.S. District Judge Rudy Contreras, during the sentencing hearing of a J6 defendant, expressed concerns that he believes former President Donald Trump could issue another "call to battle" to his supporters regarding another riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The judge's warning came as he sentenced Jeffrey Sabol, a Colorado geophysicist, to 63 months in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

The judge worried that people like Sabol would "respond again" to a potential "spurring" of another "attack" on the U.S. Capitol before or after the 2024 election.

What's going on?

Sabol was being sentenced after being charged with assaulting one of the police officers at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

NBC News noted:

Sabol, who repeatedly assaulted officers at the lower west tunnel during the Capitol attack, was one of a fraction of the Jan. 6 defendants who had been held pretrial, so he's already served the majority of his sentence. He was arrested on Jan. 11, 2021, just five days after the attack.

Prior to his arrest, Sabol reportedly attempted to microwave his laptop, dumped his mobile phone in water, and attempted to flee to Zurich, Switzerland, according to prosecutors.

While most of his sentence was already served, the judge ordered him to pay nearly $33,000 in restitution, and placed him on three years of supervised release.

NEW: Jeffrey Sabol, a Colorado geophysicist, has been sentenced to more than 5 years in prison for assaulting a downed police officer with a stolen baton during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. https://t.co/15AbgFbYIN

— Jordan Fischer (@JordanOnRecord) March 21, 2024

"It doesn't take much imagination to imagine a similar call coming out in the coming months," Judge Contreras said during the sentencing.

Who else was there?

Notably, in the gallery for Sabol's sentencing was Micki Witthoeft, the mother of Ashli Babbit, who was shot and killed during the Capitol riot by a Capitol Police officer.

Witthoeft has actively campaigned for hundreds of J6 "hostages" who have sat in prison for years waiting for trial. She has a relationship with Trump, who has vowed to release those still being held without trial.

NBC News noted:

Witthoeft attended a vigil for Jan. 6 defendants outside a jail in Washington this week, which was livestreamed, saying that she had spoken with Trump on the phone earlier in the day and that the former president “talked about setting these guys free when he gets in,” a message he asked to be passed along to Jan. 6 defendants.

Dozens more Jan. 6 defendants are expected to be tried in the coming months.