Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Jan. 6 Rioters in Obstruction Case

The Supreme Court ruled that federal prosecutors overreached by charging certain participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot with obstruction. 

For Context: Over 1,000 individuals involved in the riot have faced federal charges. In hundreds of these cases, prosecutors charged the rioters with attempting to obstruct an official proceeding. The court ruled prosecutors went beyond the law to apply these charges. 

Key Quote: Writing the court’s decision, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. stated that the obstruction law applies to an individual who “alters, destroys, mutilates, or conceals a record, document, or other object, or attempts to do so, with the intent to impair the object's integrity or availability for use in an official proceeding.” 

Details: The justices did not fall along liberal-conservative lines. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, appointed by President Joe Biden, joined five conservative justices in the majority ruling. In a concurring opinion, Jackson said the Capitol riot “inflicted a deep wound on this nation,” but added, “today’s case is not about the immorality of those acts,” she wrote, adding, “the question before this court is far narrower: What is the scope of the particular crime Congress has outlined?” Justice Amy Coney Barrett, appointed by former President Donald Trump, joined liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan in dissent, arguing the prosecutors accurately interpreted the law.

How the Media Covered It:  Outlets are framing the decision as a victory for Trump, noting that it could also impact his own federal obstruction charges.