On Tuesday, the Supreme Court began hearing arguments on rioters involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, which could potentially impact former President Donald Trump in his ongoing legal battles.
Per NBC News, the justices heard an appeal brought by defendant Joseph Fischer, a former police officer who is seeking to dismiss a charge accusing him of obstructing an official proceeding, namely the certification by Congress of Joe Biden’s election victory, which was disrupted by a mob of Trump supporters. The law in question criminalizes efforts to obstruct, influence or impede any official proceeding. If convicted, it would result in a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
Arguments took place for nearly two hours as Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito reportedly seemed to be skeptical of the government’s interpretation of legal arguments being made against defendant Joseph Fischer. A ruling by the 6-3 conservative majority high court could overturn felony obstruction charges for more than 300 individuals involved in the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol building (from UPI).
Tuesday’s hearing comes just a week before the Supreme Court hears Trump’s bid to toss out his election interference charges based on a claim of presidential immunity. Fischer and Trump both say that the obstruction law does not apply to their alleged conduct, and as such, the charges should be dropped.
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