Feds Drop Jan 6 Charges After SCOTUS Ruling

(FeaturedHeadlines.com) – Federal prosecutors are dropping the obstruction charges against January 6 protesters after the recent Supreme Court verdict that limited the government’s ability to use the obstruction count.

A Massachusetts man, Mark Sahady, involved in the Capitol breach, saw his obstruction charges dropped on July 11 after the judge asked prosecutors to brief him on the implication of the Supreme Court verdict on the case.

Many other convicted felons who await sentencing are also asking their respective judges to consider the impact of the high court verdict in their cases. Following these requests, many judges have asked the government for briefs on the implication of the ruling on the convictions.

However, at least one prosecutor has argued that the Supreme Court ruling does not prevent the government from using obstruction counts against Jan. 6 rioters even though the Supreme Court verdict specifically stated that the federal government went way too far in using the obstruction clause against the Jan. 6 defendants.

In the majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that Section 1512, under which obstruction charges are introduced, was not originally meant to be used in a broad array of crimes as the January 6 prosecutors did. Roberts noted that the purpose of this legislation was to stop “document shredding” and other similar crimes.

Roberts’ explanation of Section 1512 means that prosecutors have to prove that defendants obstructed the availability of documents or other government records to stop government proceedings, in this case, the 2020 election certification.

Out of 1,472 people facing criminal charges in the January 6 Congress attacks, 259 were charged with obstruction counts, although all of them also faced other charges.

After the Supreme Court verdict, Attorney General Merrick Garland argued that the ruling limits the federal government from using an “important federal statute.” However, Garland stated that his department would take every step to implement the ruling.

The 6-3 Supreme Court verdict is a major victory for the Jan. 6 defendants, as the obstruction counts would have pushed them into prison for up to 20 years.

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