The man behind a popular pro-Trump X account effectively had his conviction tossed on Wednesday, after the Biden-era Department of Justice was ready to imprison him for memes that mocked Hillary Clinton voters during the 2016 presidential election.

Douglass Mackey, who was charged by the Biden DOJ some four years after posting the memes in question, was facing a stunning 10 years behind bars. After the DOJ secured a conviction, Mackey was sentenced to seven months behind bars in 2023, but the sentence was delayed by an appeals court.

On Wednesday, a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit reversed Mackey’s conviction and directed a lower court to enter a judgment of acquittal.

DOUG MACKEY WINS !! MEME MAGIC HAS EMERGED COMPLETELY VICTORIOUS !! pic.twitter.com/hyJFw5rQxe

— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) July 9, 2025

“The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has thrown out my conviction for lack of evidence the case has been remanded to the district court with orders to immediately dismiss,” Mackey posted to X. “Hallelujah!”

BREAKING: THE SECOND CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS HAS THROWN OUT MY CONVICTION FOR LACK OF EVIDENCE

THE CASE HAS BEEN REMANDED TO THE DISTRICT COURT WITH ORDERS TO IMMEDIATELY DISMISS

HALLELUJAH!

— Douglass Mackey (@DougMackeyCase) July 9, 2025

As reported by The Daily Wire, Mackey, who went by the Twitter (now X) alias Ricky Vaughn, was charged about a week after President Joe Biden took office — some four years after the memes were posted. While the DOJ claimed Mackey conspired to “injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate” people from exercising their constitutional right to vote, his legal team, other legal minds, and many politicos said the memes were obviously protected free speech.

The meme the prosecution zeroed in on was published on November 1, 2016. It shows a woman holding an “African Americans for President Hillary” sign with overlaid text reading, “Avoid the line. Vote from home. Text ‘Hillary’ to 55925.”

Screenshot: Twitter

Mackey has the support of President Donald Trump, and others in his orbit, including Donald Trump Jr., but said after Trump won the 2024 election that he would not ask Trump for a pardon, since he was anticipating a good result on appeal.

“Since so many are asking, my team and I have not asked President Trump for a pardon at this time as we are hoping for a favorable, precedent-setting ruling in the 2nd Circuit that would prevent the DOJ from politically weaponizing the law,” he said at the time. 

Since so many are asking, my team and I have not asked President Trump for a pardon at this time as we are hoping for a favorable, precedent-setting ruling in the 2nd Circuit that would prevent the DOJ from politically weaponizing the law.

Thank you everybody for your support!

— Douglass Mackey (@DougMackeyCase) January 21, 2025

Mackey also posted on X, “Now we sue,” suggesting a coming suit against the federal government.

Now we sue

— Douglass Mackey (@DougMackeyCase) July 9, 2025

Related: Biden DOJ Trying To Lock Up A Pro-Trump Meme Maker For Ten Years. Here’s What You Need To Know.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested an Egyptian national and former chaplain at a children’s hospital who was flagged on the FBI’s terror watchlist.

Egyptian national Imam Ayman Soliman was arrested by federal immigration enforcement agents Wednesday after the man, whose asylum was revoked under the Biden administration, met with ICE and FBI agents, one report noted.

Soliman, who formerly worked as a chaplain at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and presided over services at a local mosque in the Ohio city, first came to the United States roughly a decade ago and was granted asylum status in 2018. That status, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin says, was revoked under the Biden administration.

The DHS official also noted that Soliman “was flagged on the FBI terror watchlist,” leading to his apprehension on Wednesday.

Court documents indicate that members of Soliman’s family, who were still in Egypt, had filed a request to migrate to the United States to join him.

Some supporters of Soliman say that he was fleeing violence and persecution in his home country and argue that he should not be sent back to Egypt. Even if his fears are found to be credible by the federal government, a recent Supreme Court ruling could enable his deportation to a willing third party country.

The Trump administration deported several illegal aliens, who could not be returned to their home countries, to South Sudan after the African nation agreed to receive deportees from the United States. The deportation operation was swiftly challenged in court, but the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration.

The ruling is expected to enable the deportation of thousands of illegal aliens whose home countries are unwilling to accept them, or who have credible fears of torture or persecution if they are returned to their nation of origin.