Meaning of ‘False’ at Heart of Ex-Alderman’s Supreme Court Case

Former Chicago City Council member Patrick Daley Thompson’s US Supreme Court appeal to undo convictions for false statements he made to FDIC contractors in 2018 could significantly limit—or expand—the reach of a statute at the center of a circuit split.

Some defense attorneys fear that if the court sides with the government, prosecutors could stretch a number of criminal laws that use similar language far beyond their intended reach. It’s a “slippery slope,” if not a “steep cliff,” said Jeffrey Cox, a partner at Sallah Astarita & Cox LLC.

The question in the case, to be argued on Jan. ...