US Federal Court Dismisses Appeal from Former Honduras President

By Editorial Team

The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has dismissed an appeal from former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez and vacated a previous judgment against him following President Donald Trump’s pardon.

The court ruled that Hernandez’s pardon made the appeal of his conviction irrelevant, leading to its dismissal. Consequently, the court also vacated his conviction and sent the case back to the lower court with instructions to dismiss it.

After the court’s decision, Hernandez expressed his gratitude in a video played at a press conference in Honduras, thanking Trump for the pardon and stating, “It is a complete clean slate, it is total justice.”

In 2024, a New York court found Hernandez guilty of smuggling 400 tons of cocaine into the US and possessing machine guns. He was fined $8 million and sentenced to 45 years in prison. However, President Trump pardoned him in November 2025, alleging that the initial investigation was politically motivated.

Vermont Senator Peter Welch criticized Hernandez’s pardon, stating that he led a significant drug ring and condemning the pardon as detrimental to law enforcement and the credibility of the US in combating drug trafficking.

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