The US Supreme Court has ruled that federal prosecutors overreached in using an obstruction law to charge hundreds of January 6 rioters, in an opinion that could affect the prosecution of Donald Trump.
It’s one of several major rulings handed down on Friday, ahead of the Court going on recess over the summer.
More than 350 people have been charged with obstructing an official proceeding.
The Supreme Court has said the use of that law, which was created in the wake of the Enron scandal in 2002 to prevent corporate malfeasance during trials, should only be used if the accused allegedly hurt or destroyed documents or records in the proceeding.
It has sent the case back to a lower court to decide if this limited reading applies.
The top court’s decision could upend all of those charges and potentially delay the start of Trump’s trial.
Prosecutors argued the law applied to January 6 cases because rioters were attempting to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Merrick Garland, says he’s disappointed in the ruling.
He says “I am disappointed by today’s decision, which limits an important federal statute that the Department has sought to use to ensure that those most responsible for that attack face appropriate consequences.”
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