With the holiday season in the rear-view mirror, all eyes are turning to D.C. and the start of President-elect Donald Trump's second term in office.

With the inauguration ceremony and attendant events slated to occur on Jan. 20, judges have been entertaining requests from adjudicated participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol unrest who wish to travel to Washington for the festivities, with one such inquiry recently met with a denial, as The Hill reports.

Jan. 6 participant's request denied

The most recent inauguration attendance request came from a man named Russell Taylor, currently on probation resulting from a guilty plea on a charge of obstructing an official proceeding.

Taylor sought permission to travel from his current location in the Central District of California to attend the inauguration in the nation's capital, a ceremony to which he had reportedly been invited by lawmakers.

Unfortunately for Mr. Taylor, however, U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth did not see fit to grant that concession, denying the request after an evaluation of the facts that put the probationer in his current situation.

Lamberth's order explained, “Mr. Taylor brought a knife and plate carrier vest to the Capitol and carried a backpack containing a hatchet and stun baton,” and it added that he “pushed past police barricades, encouraged fellow rioters to push against a police line where officers were being visibly assaulted, joined the push himself, and repeatedly threatened the police....”

The judge concluded, “While he did not personally assault law enforcement officers, he did threaten them and encourage other rioters who were actively assaulting them. He also contributed meaningfully to the sheer danger of the day's events by arriving armed and armored,” leaving him unconvinced of the wisdom of allowing travel to D.C.

Chutkan says yes

Not all Jan. 6 participants have had the same result as Taylor when seeking the freedom to travel, however, as the New York Post notes.

Just last month, District Judge Tanya Chutkan agreed to allow Eric Peterson, a man who pleaded guilty to charges related to his involvement in the Jan. 6 unrest, to sidestep bail restrictions and attend the inauguration in Washington.

A lawyer for the Missouri man asked Chutkan to grant the travel permission in the knowledge that Peterson had not been accused of violence or even vandalism on Jan. 6, contending that he hadn't even been aware that such conduct was happening on that fateful day.

In addition, the attorney referenced his belief that the incoming administration is likely to grant pardons to large numbers of those involved in the Jan. 6 protests, rendering his client's current sentence effectively moot.

Notably, federal prosecutors did not file any written objection to Peterson's travel request, making Chutkan's decision that much easier.

Pardons imminent?

Trump has, on multiple occasions, signaled an openness to granting a significant number of pardons to individuals present at the Capitol on Jan. 6, something he said he may do “very early on” in his term.

It is not just defense lawyers and Trump insiders who seem to believe that clemency is forthcoming, with The Hill recently reporting separately that according to a new Politico/Morning Consult Poll, 40% of voters believe pardons for Jan. 6 participants are “very likely,” with another 29% opining that they are “somewhat” likely, just how many pardons might be granted – and to whom – only time will tell.