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WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court on Wednesday it was said that an appeal would be heard that could raise hundreds of charges stemming from the Capitol riotsincluding against the former President Donald Trump.
The judge will review a charge of obstructing an official proceeding which was brought against more than 300 people. The charge refers to obstructing the approval of the Congress of The winner of the presidential election is Joe Biden in 2020 on top of the hole.
That was one of four charges leveled against Trump in the impeachment inquiry Jack Smith’s special attorney which accuses the 2024 Republican presidential front-runner of conspiring to overturn the results of his election. Trump has also been charged with conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding.
The court’s decision to review the charge of the incident may jeopardize the start of Trump’s trial, which is now scheduled for March 4. Various judges are considering whether to make an early decision on Trump claims he cannot be prosecuted for actions taken in his role. president A federal judge has already rejected that argument.
A lawyer for Trump did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the Supreme Court’s decision to review the charge.
The Supreme Court will hear the arguments in March or April, with a decision expected in early summer.
The charge of sedition, which carries up to 20 years in prison, is one of the most serious charges used by the federal government since the revolution. terrible on January 6, 2021, when it was said a crowd of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to prevent Biden, a Democrat, from taking the White House.
At least 152 people have been convicted or pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, and at least 108 of them have been convicted, according to an Associated Press review of federal records. judgment.
A lower court judge dismissed the charges against him Joseph Fischer, a former Pennsylvania police officer, and two other defendants, saying their actions were not covered. The judges agreed to hear the appeal of Fischer’s lawyers, who are facing seven felony charges for his actions on January 6, including the charge of trouble.
The other defendants are Edward Jacob Langof the Hudson Valley in New York, and Garret Miller, who has been doing it ever since convicted in other charges and sentenced to 38 months in prison. Miller, who is from the Dallas area, could still face charges on the accident charge.
US District Judge Carl Nichols found that prosecutors stretched the law beyond its scope to apply it inappropriately in these cases. Nichols’ ruling is that the defendant must do “an act related to a document, record or other thing” to stop a formal proceeding under the law.
The Justice Department challenged that decision, and the appeals court in Washington agree with lawyers in April Nichols’ interpretation of the law was very limited.
Other defendants, including Trump, are joining the challenge of using the charge.
Defense attorney Kira Anne West, who represented the defendants on Jan. 6 who were charged with obstruction of justice, said the court will have to “say a lot of the cases” and adjust the number of sentences if the Supreme Court rules for them.
“This is water day,” he said. “In our world – world defense lawyers – this is great.”
West is standing trial for a man scheduled to go on trial in early January on charges including the incident. He does not know if he will seek an adjournment until the Supreme Court resolves the challenge.
There were over 1,200 people charged with federal crimes It was caused by violence, and more than 700 defendants have pleaded guilty.
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Associated Press reporters Alanna Durkin Richer in Boston and Michael Kunzelman in Silver Spring, Maryland, contributed to this report.
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This story has been corrected to reflect that Joseph Fischer was a police officer in Pennsylvania, not Boston.
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