Fischer v. United States
United States Supreme Court
603 U.S. 480, 144 S. Ct. 2176 (2024)
- Written by Kelly Nielsen
Facts
On January 6, 2021, Congress convened to certify the 2020 presidential election results in favor of Joe Biden. Thousands of supporters of the losing candidate, Donald Trump, stormed the United States Capitol in an effort to disrupt the proceedings. The breach forced members of Congress to halt the certification and flee for safety. Joseph Fischer (defendant) was later indicted for multiple offenses related to his participation in that day’s events, including obstruction of an official proceeding in violation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, specifically 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c)(2). Fischer moved to dismiss this charge, arguing that § 1512(c)(2) criminalizes only attempts to impair the availability or integrity of evidence. The district court agreed and dismissed the charge. The court of appeals reversed, holding that the statute broadly applies to various forms of obstructive conduct, not just those involving investigations or evidence. The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Roberts, C.J.)
Dissent (Barrett, J.)
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