Illinois Governor Blocks Jan. 6 Rioters From State Jobs After Trump Pardons

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has directed the state’s Department of Central Management Services, the state’s leading hiring authority, to restrict those who participated in the 2021 attacks.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is blocking rioters who took part in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol from working state jobs. The governor has directed the state’s Department of Central Management Services, the state’s leading hiring authority, to restrict those who participated in the 2021 attacks.

“One of my most important duties as Governor is protecting public safety in the State of Illinois,” Pritzker said in a written directive first obtained by NBC News.

“These rioters attacked law enforcement officers protecting people in the Capitol, disrupted the peaceful transfer of power, and undermined bedrock principles of American democracy.”

Trump Pardons 1,500 Jan. 6 Rioters

In Trump’s first week of office, his first order of business was issuing blanket pardons for approximately 1,500 rioters who stormed the Capitol building after he made false claims that Joe Biden stole the election in 2020. He also commuted the sentences of 14 others.

Pritzker says blocking rioters from state jobs is about public safety.

“These rioters were accused or convicted of a combination of felonies and misdemeanors, including but not limited to violence against law enforcement officers, threats against Members of Congress, destruction of federal property, and many other crimes,” Gov. Pritzker added in his directive. “These crimes attacks threatened public safety as Members of Congress, staff, and other workers who were forced to hide from the violence for hours.”

Pritzker says the state’s workforce should reflect Illinois’s values while demonstrating honesty, integrity, and loyalty to “serving the taxpayers.”

“No one who attempts to overthrow a government should serve in government,” he says.

According to The Chicago Sun-Times, Trump’s pardons affect more than 50 Illinois residents. It’s unclear what legal challenges lie ahead for Pritzker, but sources told NBC that his team is combing through personnel code ahead of pushback from the courts.

“The US Constitution does not grant the President this unilateral authority,” Pritzker wrote on X. “In Illinois, we will stand against unlawful actions that would harm millions of working families, children, and seniors.”

The US Constitution does not grant the President this unilateral authority.

In Illinois, we will stand against unlawful actions that would harm millions of working families, children, and seniors. https://t.co/MOt4fnlzl7
— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) January 28, 2025