ANDThe United States Supreme Court decided this Friday that accusing the January 6, 2021 Capitol attackers of obstruction of justice was inappropriate and that the Department of Justice overstepped its bounds.
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By 6 votes to 3, the country’s highest court determined that the Prosecutor’s Office went too far when accusing hundreds of people who rioted at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, of obstruction.
The decision means that lower courts will now apply that standard and charges against many defendants will likely be dropped.
This ruling could also have an influence on one of the judicial processes against the former Republican president. Donald Trump (2017-2021) – his involvement in the assault on the Capitol and his alleged attempt to interfere in the elections – since special prosecutor Jack Smith included obstruction of an official procedure among the four charges against him in this trial.
Former United States President Donald Trump.
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While Smith, who is conducting the investigation, alleges that Trump’s obstruction of congressional proceedings is much broader than that of the rioters, the former president’s legal team is likely to try to capitalize on the Supreme Court’s decision.
On January 6, about 10,000 people – most of them Trump supporters – marched to the Capitol and about 800 stormed the building. while Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory was being certified. There were five deaths and nearly 140 officers injured.
Since then, more than 1,000 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states on crimes related to the attack and more than 350 have been charged with assault or obstructing law enforcement, according to Justice Department data.
The Supreme Court determined that charges could be filed against the rioters if prosecutors can prove that they were trying not only to enter the building by force, but also prevented the arrival of certificates confirming the election results.
Supporters of US President Trump in the Capitol Rotunda after breaching Capitol security in Washington, DC, United States, January 6, 2021.
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Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, which included a liberal justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Judge Amy Coney Barrett presented a dissenting opinion joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
The Supreme Court’s decision outraged the U.S. Attorney General’s Office, led by Attorney General Merrick Garland, who said he was “disappointed” because it limits “an important federal statute that the Department has sought to use to ensure that those primarily responsible for that attack face appropriate consequences.”
The decision limits an important federal statute that the Department has sought to use to ensure that those primarily responsible for that attack face appropriate consequences.
Garland assured that the vast majority of the more than 1,400 defendants will not be affected by this decision since “there are no cases in which the Department (of Justice) charged a defendant from January 6 solely with the crime in question.”
Sources from Joe Biden’s presidential campaign stated in a statement that “violent insurrectionists and those who encourage them must be held accountable,” even though “Trump thinks otherwise.”
On Thursday night, in the first presidential debate of the race for the White House, Trump “again defended on January 6 the insurrectionists who violently attacked law enforcement officers and attempted to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.”
“Today’s ruling does not change the fundamental truth that Donald Trump will always put himself above our democracy,” the Democratic campaign statement concluded.
Pro-Trump protesters occupy the west front grounds of the US Capitol, including the inaugural stage and observation deck, in Washington, DC, US, January 6, 2021
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