New Mexico man becomes the first January 6 defendant to be acquitted. Matthew Martin—who faced four federal charges as a result of entering the U.S. Capitol building during the January 6 protests and riots—has been found not guilty on all counts.

The feds had charged Martin with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disorderly conduct which impedes the conduct of government business; disruptive conduct in the Capitol buildings; and pandering, demonstrating, or picketing in Capitol buildings.

Martin contended that Capitol police had let him into the building, leading him to think it was OK to enter. "According to MARTIN, Capitol guards opened the doors to the Rotunda and let them in, though MARTIN did acknowledge seeing smashed glass," stated the government's complaint against him.

This seems reasonable—and Judge Trevor McFadden of the U.S. District Court for the District of Washington agreed. McFadden called Martin's defense "plausible" and noted that "people were streaming by and the officers made no attempt to stop the people."

The judge said that while he did not believe that an officer had actually waved Martin into the Rotunda as Martin claimed, video of the scene shows how Martin may have gotten that impression. "I do think the defendant reasonably believed the officers allowed him into the Capitol," opined the judge.

After a two-day bench trial, McFadden acquitted Martin of all charges.

While it was a "close call" on the charge of knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building without lawful authority, "under our system of justice close calls go to the defendant," said McFadden.

The decision is bad news for the feds' cases against the many other January 6 defendants charged with illegally entering the U.S. Capitol. But it's good news for due process and justice.

Certainly not all people who entered the Capitol building that day are blameless. But neither were all of them necessarily acting with criminal intent, and McFadden's decision reinforces this.