by Nicholas Ballasy
A Supreme Court ruling on Friday limits the scope of obstruction charges against Jan. 6, 2021 rioters, which is the same charge former President Trump faces in his 2020 election interference case.
The majority decision is by the Chief Justice, and the vote is 6-3. “Barrett dissents, joined by Sotomayor and Kagan,” SCOTUSBlog reported in Friday.
The high court ruled that the Department of Justice went too far with its obstruction charges of rioters.
According to the ruling, obstruction could still be charged if prosecutors can prove that rioters were intentionally trying to stop the arrival of certificates used to certify electoral votes at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Special counsel Jack Smith filed the same charge against Trump.
Despite the Fischer v. United States decision, Smith is likely to continue to pursue the charge.
Read the full opinion here.
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Nicholas Ballasy has been breaking news for more than a decade in the nation’s capital and questioning political leaders about the most pressing issues facing the nation. Since 2008, Ballasy has interviewed former President Bill Clinton, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former President Donald Trump, Sen. Mitt Romney, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. John McCain, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and more.
