Supreme Court justices raised concerns about the Justice Department’s use of an obstruction statute to charge a Jan. 6 rioter in a case that could have bearing on the election interference prosecution of former President Donald Trump. Some conservative justices expressed skepticism about whether prosecutors were using the statute criminalizing the obstruction of an official proceeding too broadly. “Would a sit-in that disrupts a trial or access to a federal courthouse qualify?” Neil Gorsuch asked. “Would a heckler in today’s audience qualify, or at the State of the Union address? Would pulling a fire alarm before a vote qualify for 20 years in federal prison?” |