(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Oran Alexander Routh, the son of alleged would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh, was set to be sentenced on Thursday after pleading guilty to one count of possessing child pornography in January.
However, days before Oran’s sentencing, his lawyers asked to resign from his case—telling the presiding judge that the relationship between them and their client is damaged beyond repair. The sentencing has now been postponed.
The lawyers, Lisa Costner and Stacey Rubain, filed their motion to withdraw on Tuesday after meeting with Oran.
“The relationship between undersigned counsel and the defendant has reached a point where counsel believes that meaningful communication with the defendant has broken down and their continued representation of defendant would be pointless,” Costner and Rubain said.
NEW: Oran Routh was set to be sentenced for CP tomorrow, but his lawyers filed a last-minute motion to be removed from the case.
"On recent occasions, Routh expressed dissatisfaction with counsel…"Instead of sentencing tomorrow, the judge will hold a hearing about the… https://t.co/0DmSjWEI70 pic.twitter.com/HE2Sj4FX3R
— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) May 21, 2025
“The defendant raises into question the effectiveness of undersigned counsel’s representation of defendant, which creates a conflict between defendant and counsel,” they said. “The undersigned are of the opinion that it is in the best interest of the defendant that counsel be allowed to withdraw in this matter and that the Court appoint substitute counsel.”
The motion from Oran Routh’s attorneys also come as both parties have filed their respective sentencing memoranda. Those memos have been sealed, so it’s unclear what penalty the Justice Department seeks against Routh.
Regardless of whether Routh’s attorneys are allowed to withdraw, his sentencing has been delayed so the judge can review the hundreds of pages of records that the two parties sent to him in recent days.
“The United States has filed a sentencing pleading which includes over 500 pages of attachments shortly before sentencing. The court will not be able to review the attachments in the time available. At the sentencing scheduled for May 22, 2025, the court will hear argument on the motion to withdraw,” Judge William Osteen said in a Wednesday order. “Regardless of how that issue is resolved, the sentencing will be continued to allow the court an opportunity to review the sentencing pleading filed by the United States.”
Law enforcement started investigating Oran for child pornography in late 2023, when the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, or NCMEC, flagged a video allegedly on his phone. NCMEC passed that tip along to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, which visited his mother’s home last February. Law enforcement didn’t follow up until Oran’s father allegedly tried to kill Trump.
Oran faces up to 20 years in prison. His father faces trial for attempted assassination in September.
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
