Supreme Court Sidesteps Riot Violence in Jan. 6 Case Argument

The Supreme Court talked little about the events of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack during arguments in the first criminal cases related to the riot to come before the justices.

Instead, they focused Tuesday on technical questions related to the reach of a law used by prosecutors to charge some Jan. 6 defendants and whether its application would chill peaceful protests.

The law, passed after the 2007-2008 financial crisis to outlaw evidence destruction, prohibits “corruptly” obstructing an official proceeding. Prosecutors have charged about one in four Jan. 6 defendants with the law for obstructing congressional certification of the 2020 presidential ...