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Supreme Court Throws Out Charge Used to Prosecute Donald Trump and Hundreds of Jan. 6 Rioters
The court was asked to weigh in on whether a federal obstruction statute can apply to protestors who stormed the U.S. Capitol — and Trump, who is accused of coordinating the insurrection.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the Justice Department went too far in its prosecution of hundreds of rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — and Donald Trump.
In a 6-3 decision on Friday, June 28, the court said that a federal obstruction statute cited in cases against more than 350 Capitol rioters was not applied properly, which could complicate their sentences.
The decision also has implications for the scope of Trump’s federal Jan. 6 case — two of the former president’s four charges in that indictment center around the obstruction statute. If those charges are thrown out, Trump would continue to face two significant felony counts: conspiring to defraud the United States and conspiring against voters’ rights.
The former president is still waiting on a separate Supreme Court decision that could impact his federal election subversion case. The court is expected to weigh in on Monday, July 1, on whether presidential immunity protects him from prosecution for the things he did while commander-in-chief. The justices could kill Trump’s Jan. 6 case altogether, or narrow its scope.
See Also:
Supreme Court Overturns DOJ’s Use of Key J6 Felony Court
BREAKING: SCOTUS Hands Down Huge Decision Affecting J6 Defendants
