Staff Reports
The Supreme Court’s newest ruling has sent shivers down the spines of the Biden administration and their cronies at the Justice Department. In a 6-3 decision, the court sided with Joseph Fischer, a former Pennsylvania police officer, and Jan. 6 defendant, delivering a significant blow to the overreaching prosecutorial tactics employed by this administration in its vendetta against those involved in the Capitol riot.
This ruling isn’t just a win for Fischer. It drastically narrows the scope of the obstruction charge the Justice Department has been slinging left and right at anyone remotely connected to January 6th. The case dissected the application of Section 1512(c)(2), a statute from the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act originally meant to combat corporate fraud. In their ideological alignment, the justices decided that this statute should not serve as a catch-all net for snaring Capitol rioters and, perhaps more notably, former President Donald Trump. Interestingly, even liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson sided with the conservative majority, while conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the liberal dissenters. Talk about unexpected alliances!
@SCOTUS keep 'em coming!!!
Should have been another unanimous decision… … kicked back back down with a narrower interpretation.#Trump2024MAGA
Supreme Court rules against Biden DOJ in high-stakes Jan. 6 case https://t.co/yRZIMsYycg via @dcexaminer
— John Moerner (@JohnMoerner) June 28, 2024
The Supreme Court essentially called out the Biden administration for its desperate attempt to warp a law intended to address evidence tampering into something far broader. The justices ruled that Fischer’s actions during the Capitol events didn’t fit the statute’s original intent. Justice Samuel Alito reportedly showcased his skepticism about the government’s rather creative reading of the law during oral arguments. Looks like the administration will need to rethink its playbook.
This decision is nothing short of a disaster for the Justice Department, which has banked on this obstruction statute to go after over 300 individuals linked to the Capitol riot. More than 50 have already pleaded guilty, banking on the belief that they stood no chance against the government’s charges. With this ruling, the odds just tipped in favor of these defendants, raising a slew of questions about upcoming appeals and potential overturned convictions. One can almost hear the collective sighs of relief from those targeted by these overblown charges.
Fischer, who was staring down the barrel of up to 20 years in prison, can now wave goodbye to that impending obstruction charge, although he still has other charges to contend with. However, the ruling goes far beyond Fischer—it has sweeping implications for former President Trump and his own legal battles concerning his efforts to challenge the 2020 election results. This Supreme Court decision could serve as a game-changer, shaking up the legal strategies and outcomes as the nation barrels toward another hotly contested presidential election.
