The Supreme Court has upended hundreds of prosecutions related to the Capitol riot—including one of former President Donald Trump’s criminal cases—by ruling Friday that the feds need to narrow their usage of the charge of obstructing an official proceeding.
In a 6-3 ruling, the justices significantly weakened the statute under which more than 330 rioters had been charged. Trump has also been charged with obstruction in his criminal case in Washington, D.C., related to his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
However, while it’s a win for rioters, it’s unclear how exactly the ruling will affect their prosecutions as the justices’ reading of the statute still gives prosecutors some wiggle room. The vast majority of rioters were also hit with other charges, like assaulting police officers, and most have been convicted and served their time.
