Peter Navarro seeks full D.C. Circuit review of contempt conviction

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has asked the entire D.C. Court of Appeals to rehear the case that upheld his contempt of Congress conviction.

Peter Navarro, a former White House trade adviser, has petitioned the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to revisit the ruling that sustained his contempt of Congress conviction. His attorney, Abhishek Kambli, argues that the three-judge panel applied an antiquated precedent that lowers the standard for proving “willful” refusal to comply with a subpoena, ignoring Supreme Court guidance that requires a bad or evil motive.

The petition also claims the trial judge improperly barred evidence showing Navarro acted in good faith under an asserted executive privilege. A unanimous three-judge panel previously upheld Navarro’s two felony convictions, finding his claim of privilege lacked a formal order from President Donald Trump. Navarro served a four-month federal sentence in 2024 and has kept fighting the judgment despite the Trump-appointed DOJ withdrawing its appellate defense. It is not yet known whether the current DOJ will intervene or support Navarro’s request, which could lead the court to appoint outside counsel as amicus.