{"id":2285484,"date":"2024-06-28T15:53:58","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T19:53:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-shoots-down-doj-use-of-statute-to-target-j6-prisoners\/"},"modified":"2024-06-28T15:57:07","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T19:57:07","slug":"scotus-shoots-down-doj-use-of-statute-to-target-j6-prisoners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-shoots-down-doj-use-of-statute-to-target-j6-prisoners\/","title":{"rendered":"SCOTUS Shoots Down DOJ Use Of Statute To Target J6 Prisoners"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fscotus-shoots-down-doj-use-of-statute-to-target-j6-prisoners%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2285484&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Supreme Court recently ruled\u2064 in a 6-3 decision in Fischer v. United States that the DOJ&#8217;s use \u2062of 18 U.S. Code \u00a7 1512(c) to prosecute\u2062 individuals connected\u200c to the January 6th riot was inappropriate. This\u2063 statute, which \u200ccan result in up to 20 years in prison, encompasses \u200bactions \u200cthat corruptly alter or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rep-michael-cloud-introduces-bill-to-force-atf-to-erase-all-firearm-transaction-records\/\" title=\"Rep. Michael Cloud Introduces Bill to Force ATF to Erase All Firearm Transaction Records\">destroy records<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jan-6-oath-keeper-charged-with-seditious-conspiracy-says-he-was-helping-get-law-enforcement-out-of-the-building\/\" title=\"Jan. 6 Oath Keeper Charged With Seditious Conspiracy Says He Was \u2018Helping Get Law Enforcement Out of the Building\u2019\">obstruct official proceedings<\/a>. The ruling determined that the DOJ&#8217;s application of this law in \u2063charging over 300 defendants with felonies was \u200dexcessively broad and could criminalize common activist or lobbying activities. Despite the ruling impacting the \u200blegality of two charges\u2062 against \u200bformer President \u2063Donald Trump, special counsel Jack Smith indicated his intention to continue pursuing a conviction. \u2062Smith argued in a brief that regardless of the Supreme Court&#8217;s interpretation, the charges against Trump under Section 1514(c)(2) remain\u2063 valid, involving the use of falsehoods and creation of &#8220;false&#8221; documents. The \u200bDOJ remains defiant and plans to continue \u2062its legal actions against\u2062 Trump.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<figure>                         <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In ruling against the Department of Justice&rsquo;s weaponization of the law to target political opponents, the Supreme Court just shot down two of special counsel Jack Smith&rsquo;s four charges against former President Donald Trump &mdash; but the fight isn&rsquo;t over.<\/p>\n<p>The Supreme Court <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/23pdf\/23-5572_l6hn.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">issued<\/a> a 6-3 decision Friday in <em>Fischer v. United States<\/em> that found the DOJ inappropriately used federal statute <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/uscode\/text\/18\/1512\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">18 U.S. Code &sect; 1512(c)<\/a> to prosecute individuals involved in the Jan. 6 riot. The statute carries a 20-year prison sentence for anyone who &ldquo;corruptly&rdquo;:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>(1) alters, destroys, mutilates, or conceals a record, document, or other object, or attempts to do so, with the intent to impair the object&rsquo;s integrity or availability for use in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnn-nbc-purchased-video-for-35000-from-man-charged-in-u-s-capitol-riot-court-docs\/\" title=\"CNN, NBC Purchased Video For ,000 From Man Charged In U.S. Capitol Riot: Court Docs\">official proceeding<\/a>; or<\/p>\n<p>(2) otherwise obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The statute has been, as my colleague Tristan Justice <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/01\/18\/this-j6-defendant-spent-3-years-in-jail-for-what-the-supreme-court-might-say-isnt-a-crime\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">explained<\/a>, &ldquo;the basis for keeping many protesters in jail without bond for months or even years before they reached trial.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s never before been used in the way the DOJ has applied it to Jan. 6 protesters,&rdquo; Justice continued. <\/p>\n<p>Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, warned that the DOJ&rsquo;s broad interpretation of the statute to charge more than 300 defendants with felonies &ldquo;would criminalize a broad swath of prosaic conduct, exposing activists and lobbyists alike to decades in prison.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>And while the Supreme Court&rsquo;s ruling would surely mean that two of the charges against Trump are illegal, President Joe Biden&rsquo;s DOJ has no plans to go down without a fight. <\/p>\n<p>Smith had already made clear he would attempt to secure a conviction of Trump even if the Supreme Court &mdash; as it did &mdash; ruled against the DOJ relating to its application of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/uscode\/text\/18\/1512\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">18 U.S. Code &sect; 1512(c)<\/a>. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net\/static\/2024\/04\/20240408191803801_United-States-v.-Trump-final-for-filing.pdf\">brief<\/a> filed before the Supreme Court in April asking the Supreme Court to dismiss Trump&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-in-trump-election-case-says-she-lacks-jurisdiction-while-supreme-court-weighs-immunity\/\" title=\"Judge defers to Supreme Court on immunity in Trump election case\">presidential immunity claims<\/a>, Smith argued:<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Petitioner asserts &hellip; that the grant of review in <em>Fischer v. United States<\/em> &hellip; suggests that the Section 1512(c)(2) charges here impermissibly stretch the statute,&rdquo; Smith wrote. &ldquo;But whether the Court interprets Section 1512(c)(2) consistently with a natural reading of its text or adopts the evidence-impairing gloss urged by the petitioner in <em>Fischer,<\/em> the Section 1512 charges in this case are valid.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Smith also claimed that &ldquo;the use of falsehoods or creation of &lsquo;false&rsquo; documents satisfies an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jack-smith-signals-hell-try-to-circumvent-scotus-if-it-says-obstruction-charges-arent-real-crimes\/\" title=\"Jack Smith hints at bypassing Supreme Court if it invalidates obstruction charges\">evidence-impairment interpretation<\/a>,&rdquo; as pointed out by my colleague <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/04\/10\/jack-smith-signals-hell-try-to-circumvent-scotus-if-it-says-obstruction-charges-arent-real-crimes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Investigative reporter Julie Kelly <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/julie_kelly2\/status\/1777671611518231002\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">explained<\/a> that Smith is arguing that the &ldquo;alternative electoral certificates&rdquo; that Trump and his team submitted to Congress &ldquo;represent &lsquo;documents&rsquo; that were fraudulently used in an &lsquo;official proceeding.&#8217;&rdquo; Therefore, Smith argues, the charges should still apply to Trump &ldquo;based on subsection (1) of the statute even if his ability to prosecute based on subsection (2) is nullified,&rdquo; Fleetwood explained.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly further <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/julie_kelly2\/status\/1777671611518231002\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">explained<\/a> that Smith would now have to make the case that &ldquo;Pieces of paper signed and sent by other Americans to protest of a rigged election are now equal to accounting records destroyed in service of covering up a crime.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>So while the Supreme Court nullified the DOJ&rsquo;s stretch of the statute to charge more than 300 political prisoners, Smith may very well try to bend the statute again to advance the Biden administration&rsquo;s goal of jailing its primary political opponent.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-image data-amount=\"5\">\n<h2>Popular<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision on Fischer v. United States, dismissed two of special counsel Jack Smith&#8217;s four charges against ex-President Donald Trump, citing the Department of Justice&#8217;s misuse of law for political targeting. However, the legal battle continues<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2285485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Supreme_Court_of_the_U.S._Building-2-e1719597913751.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[7076,33234,6994,5473,4650],"class_list":["post-2285484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-doj","tag-j6-prisoners","tag-scotus","tag-statute","tag-target"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Supreme_Court_of_the_U.S._Building-2-e1719597913751.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2285484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2285484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2285484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2285485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2285484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2285484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2285484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}