Supreme Court Picks Up Trump Election Case

(Scypre.com) – Last Wednesday, the Supreme Court decided to take a closer look at a case involving the events of January 6, specifically focusing on the charges against individuals accused of obstructing an official proceeding. This development carries potential implications for one of the criminal cases involving former President Donald Trump.

The case centers around three defendants – Garret Miller from Dallas, Joseph Fischer from Boston, and Edward Jacob Lang from New York’s Hudson Valley. They are accused of disrupting the official process of certifying Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

Of particular interest is the charge of obstruction, which has broader implications beyond these three individuals. Special Counsel Jack Smith has also levied an obstruction charge against Trump, among other counts, in a case slated to begin on March 4. However, the Supreme Court’s decision to review this case might influence the starting date of Trump’s trial.

The lower court initially dismissed the obstruction charge against Miller, Fischer, and Lang. The judge ruled that their actions did not warrant such a charge, asserting that prosecutors had stretched the law beyond its intended scope. According to the judge, the law requires a defendant to have taken specific actions related to a document, record, or other object to be charged with obstructing an official proceeding.

However, the Justice Department, led by President Biden’s administration, disagreed with this interpretation and challenged the ruling. In April, an appeals court in Washington, D.C., sided with the prosecutors, arguing that the judge’s understanding of the law was too restrictive. It’s worth noting that other defendants, including Trump, are separately challenging the use of the obstruction charge.

The January 6 riot resulted in more than 1,200 people facing federal charges, and over 650 defendants have pleaded guilty. The Supreme Court is expected to conduct hearings on this case in the coming months, with a decision anticipated by the summer. The outcome will not only impact the fates of the specific defendants but also reverberate in the broader legal context surrounding the events of January 6 and its aftermath.