One of the accusations against the Department of Justice is that it has been overcharging those accused of committing crimes during the demonstrations on January 6th, 2021. One of those claims of overcharging concerns the charge of obstruction of an official proceeding.
The Supreme Court heard this question on April 16th, 2024. How the court decides this case may have a tremendous impact on all outstanding Jan. 6th cases. We’ve all heard the saying that the punishment should fit the crime. But what happens when someone, in order to get the punishment they want, accuses others of crimes they didn’t actually commit?
That is the question before the Supreme Court in the case Fischer v. United States. Joseph W. Fischer, along with many of those on trial for their actions on January 6th, has been accused of obstructing an official proceeding. But is that what happened? And does that law, which was created to punish those who destroyed evidence in a criminal investigation, apply to those who broke into the Capitol?
Those are the questions brought during oral arguments before the court.
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Image: US Department of Justice
