Featured

Home Featured
Featured posts

Supreme Court Narrows Key Obstruction Law Used In Jan. 6 Prosecutions

    1
    Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    In a pivotal 6-3 decision on Friday, the Supreme Court made it more challenging to charge Jan. 6 defendants with obstruction, a ruling that could impact scores of cases.

    The ruling was notably not split along ideological lines, underscoring its significance.

    Key Justices and Their Stances

    Office of U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, appointed by President Biden, joined the majority in Friday’s landmark decision, in sharp contrast to her strong words against Idaho‘s abortion ruling, which she bitterly criticized as a setback for โ€œpregnant patients.โ€ (RELATED: Supreme Court Allows Emergency Abortions To Resume In Idaho)

    In a surprising move, Justice Amy Coney Barrett broke away from her conservative peers and sided with the minority.

    Case Spotlight: Joseph Fischer

    The decision directly involves Joseph Fischer, a former police officer from Pennsylvania. Fischer, who participated in the U.S. Capitol riot, faces an obstruction charge among several other accusations, including assaulting a police officer and disorderly conduct.

    Fischer’s appeal specifically targeted the obstruction charge under Section 1512(c)(2). His defense argued that this statute, originally crafted to tackle evidence tampering following the Enron scandal, was being misapplied to his actions on Jan. 6.

    They asserted that the law’s intended scope was being overly stretched to cover protest activitiesโ€‹. On the other hand, the government argued that the statute’s broad language was deliberate, designed to address various obstruction forms, including those that disrupt official proceedings like the certification of electoral votesโ€‹โ€‹.

    Understanding Section 1512(c)(2)

    Section 1512(c)(2) penalizes those who โ€œcorruptlyโ€ obstruct, impede or interfere with official congressional investigations, carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years. Theย Justice Departmentย utilized this statute to prosecute individuals whose actions postponed the Electoral College vote count on Jan. 6. However, Fischer and many others contended that theย Biden administration‘s DOJ had repurposed the law from its original focus on document tampering to now include those involved in the Capitol riot.

    The Hill further reports:

    The Supreme Court’s decision could have profound implications on the Justice Department’s years-long prosecution of the Capitol attack.

    More than 350 rioters were charged with obstructing an official proceeding after mobbing the Capitol on the day Congress was set to certify now-President Biden’s win against Trump. Several members of the extremist Proud Boys and Oath Keepers groups were convicted of the charge, including the leaders of each group, Enrique Tarrio and Stewart Rhodes.

    Though most also faced other felony counts, 50 rioters were sentenced with the obstruction law as their only felony, according to Prelogar.

    Jackson signaled in a separate opinion that she believed it is possible for Fischer and the other defendants to still be prosecuted under the charge.

    โ€œThat issue remains available for the lower courts to determine on remand,โ€ she wrote.

    Broader Implications

    The Supreme Court ruling may not only influence Fischer’s case but numerous other Jan. 6 defendants. It may even extend its impact to former President Trump, who faces related legal challenges.

    Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.

    GOP Congressman Floats Prospect Of Contempt Charges For Pam Bondi

    4
    Image via Pixabay

    Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) suggested this week that holding Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt remains an option as Congress presses the Justice Department over its handling of the long-awaited Epstein files.

    Massie, who helped author legislation requiring the release of government records tied to convicted sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, said lawmakers are still not receiving full access to unredacted documents โ€” despite the deadline set by Congress.

    Appearing Tuesday on CNNโ€™s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Massie accused the Justice Department of failing to deliver what the law requires and raised concerns that redactions appear inconsistent and unjustified.

    โ€œWe have not had access to totally unredacted files,โ€ Massie said, adding that names such as Epstein associate and former Victoriaโ€™s Secret CEO Leslie Wexner have been blacked out โ€œfor no apparent reason.โ€

    Massie said the DOJโ€™s refusal to acknowledge gaps in its production makes it difficult for Congress โ€” and the public โ€” to trust that the full truth is being released.

    โ€œIf theyโ€™ll admit that theyโ€™re making mistakes and that their document production is not done, I could trust them,โ€ Massie said. โ€œBut I canโ€™t trust them if they sayโ€ฆ this is it, thereโ€™s no more.โ€

    The Kentucky Republican noted he would have limited time to question Bondi when she appeared Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee, warning that stronger measures could follow if answers are not forthcoming.

    Massie first raised the possibility of using Congressโ€™s โ€œinherent contemptโ€ powers against Bondi in a weekend interview, calling it the most direct way to force compliance.

    โ€œThe quickest wayโ€ฆ to get justice for these victims is to bring inherent contempt against Pam Bondi,โ€ he said.

    Still, Massie acknowledged the challenge of pursuing contempt charges against the nationโ€™s top law enforcement official, noting that referrals often run through the same department under scrutiny.

    โ€œYou know, itโ€™s hard to refer a contempt chargeโ€ฆ on an attorney general to the attorney general,โ€ Massie said. โ€œThis is the problem that you run into.โ€

    Instead, he suggested Congress may need to compel testimony from individuals named in the documents, similar to efforts already underway by the House Oversight Committee.

    Bondiโ€™s appearance on Wednesday quickly turned tense as Democrats confronted her over the Justice Departmentโ€™s redaction process โ€” particularly allegations that some victimsโ€™ identities were improperly exposed while other information, including references to powerful individuals, was withheld.

    Watch:

    Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) pressed Bondi to apologize directly to Epstein survivors seated in the hearing room, accusing the DOJ of mishandling sensitive records.

    Bondi declined to issue a direct apology for the departmentโ€™s release process, offering general sympathy for victims but defending the DOJโ€™s actions. The exchange escalated into a sharp back-and-forth, with Bondi accusing Jayapal of engaging in โ€œtheatrics.โ€

    Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) struggled to bring the room back to order as lawmakers debated whether the Justice Department has been transparent โ€” or selective โ€” in what it has released.

    Senior Diplomat Fired Over Trump Remarks

      3
      Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

      New Zealandโ€™s most senior diplomat to the U.K. was fired after seeming to question President Donald Trumpโ€™s understanding of history and his handling of Russia. 

      Phil Goff, who was serving as New Zealandโ€™s high commissioner to the U.K., apparently tried to draw a contrast between Winston Churchillโ€™s handling of Nazi Germany and Trumpโ€™s approach to Russia. 

      Theย New Zealandย official said he was re-reading a famous Churchill speech from 1938 in which the British leader blasts then-Prime Minister Neville Chamberlainโ€™s decision to sign the Munich Agreement with Adolf Hitler.ย 

      “President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. But do you think he really understands history?,” Goff asked Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, referencing the bust seen during President Trump’s heated exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

      Valtonen seemed uncomfortable with the question, saying she would “limit” herself in her response. Rather than saying anything about Trump, the Finnish official said many of Churchillโ€™s remarks were “timeless.”

      When speaking with media, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters, who fired Goff, called the diplomatโ€™s question “deeply disappointing.” He also said that it made “his position as high commissioner to London untenable.”

      Peters called Goffโ€™s firing “one of the most difficult” things he has had to do in his career. He also said that had the former high commissioner made the statement about any other nation, he would have been “forced to act,” implying that the firing was not because Goff specifically insulted Trump. 

      “When youโ€™re in that position, you represent the views of the government and the policies of the day โ€“ youโ€™re not able to free-think, you are the face of New Zealand,” Peters told the press on Thursday.

      DeSantis Shares Ideas for Military, Student Loans During Iowa Campaign Stops

        1

        Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is shedding more light on his policy ideas as he makes campaign stops in Iowa.

        On Wednesday, the White House hopeful announced his plans to address the country’s massive student debt- which currently stands at a whopping $1.6 trillion according to CNN and his plan to boost military morale.

        While speaking in Salix, Iowa, DeSantis declared that universities should have to pick up the tab if a former student canโ€™t pay back their loans.

        โ€œIf somebody defaults, the university should pick it up,โ€ he said. โ€œIf they were on the hook for it, they would make sure the curriculum was designed to produce people that can be very productive. Youโ€™d have a heck of a lot less gender studies going on.โ€

        DeSantis added that โ€œwe do believe in universities, but they got to be done in a good way,โ€ meaning โ€œrooted in the traditional mission of the university classical education.โ€

        During another stop in Council Bluffs, the Florida Governor said that if elected he would offer back pay to veterans who reenlist after leaving the military due to Covid-19 vaccine requirements.

        Later in the day, while touting his time in the US Navy as a JAG officer, DeSantis argued the US military is โ€œindulging woke ideologyโ€ that negatively impacts recruitment.

        โ€œTheyโ€™ve driven off some of our greatest warriors not just through that culture, but also through dumb policies like forcing m-RNA Covid shots on our service members,โ€ DeSantis said.

        โ€œWhy would you want to drive them off by doing things like forcing them to take a shot that they donโ€™t want and sure enough, many people left,โ€ DeSantis said at the second of four stops across Iowa. โ€œAs president, we will restore everybody back who wants to come back and we will give them back pay as a result.โ€

        In January, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin rescinded the militaryโ€™s Covid-19 vaccination mandate for troops after the shot was made mandatory in 2021.

        Chris Christie Suggests He Would ‘Torpedo’ Trump in GOP Primary Battle

        22
        Maryland GovPics, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

        Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie suggested to an audience on Monday that he may enter the 2024 presidential race to target former President Donald Trump.

        Christie hinted at potentially joining the race while delivering remarks at St. Anselmโ€™s College in New Hampshire.

        โ€œYou better have somebody on that stage who can do to him what I did to Marco because thatโ€™s the only thing thatโ€™s gonna defeat Donald Trump,โ€ Christie said in reference to him going hard after Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) during the debates. โ€œAnd that means you gotta have the skill to do it and that means you have to be fearless because he will come back and right at you.โ€

        Christie said thatย โ€œitโ€™s not gonna end nicelyโ€ and Trumpโ€™s โ€œend will not be a calm and quiet conclusion.โ€

        Christieย campaignedย in New Hampshire more than any other GOP candidate in 2016 but received lackluster results, leading him to suspend his campaign.

        โ€œAnd so, if I run again, I canโ€™t imagine that I would continue to do it the same way,โ€ he added. โ€œBut this time if I run, I would just hope that you come to a better conclusion than you did the last time.โ€

        The former president and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis currently sit at the top of the polls for the 2024 Republican nomination.

        Christie told Fox News that he wanted to go to New Hampshire to talk to peopleย โ€œwho I know are the best-informed voters in the country about things that I think are important in the world and in our country right now โ€” and to see how they react to that, and see that what they think about things that I think are important.โ€

        Hunter Biden To Be Stripped Of License To Practice Law In DC

          3
          President Joe Biden hugs his family during the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. (DOD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II)

          Former first son and convicted felonย Hunter Bidenย agreed to be disbarred from practicing law in Washington, D.C., according to court records.ย 

          Hunter Biden filed an affidavit under seal on Tuesday acknowledging his “consent to disbarment,” D.C. Court of Appeals records show. Biden was “suspended immediately from the practice of law” in Washington, D.C., in June 2024 following his felony conviction in a Delaware federal court. 

          Hunter Biden will officially be disbarred if the D.C. Court of Appeals accepts a disciplinary agencyโ€™s recommendation โ€“ and his own consent โ€“ for disbarment, according to the New York Post.

          The former first son’sย Washington, D.C., bar member standing currently reads that he is under “Temp Disciplinary Suspension,” Fox News Digital found on Wednesday morning. Hunter Biden has been licensed to practice law in the nation’s capital since 2007.ย 

          Hunter Bidenย was found guiltyย in June 2024 of lying about his drug use when purchasing a firearm in 2018.ย 

          He was found guilty on three charges: making a false statement on a purchase application of a gun, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.

          Man Who Falsely Claimed To shoot Charlie Kirk Sentenced To Prison

          0
          Image via Pixabay

          In a strikingly bizarre footnote to the tragic assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a Utah man who falsely claimed responsibility for the fatal shooting has now been sentenced and faces up to 15 years in prison.

          Seventy-one-year-old George Hodgson Zinn โ€” who dramatically approached law enforcement at Utah Valley University, yelling โ€œI shot him โ€” now shoot meโ€ moments after Kirk was gunned down โ€” has now pleaded no contest to obstruction of justice and guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, according to court records.

          While Zinnโ€™s initial false confession drew headlines and confusion during the chaotic aftermath of the shooting โ€” leading some to believe he was the shooter โ€” investigators quickly ruled him out as a suspect in Kirkโ€™s assassination.

          During questioning at a hospital after the incident, Zinn shocked authorities by admitting he had child sexual abuse material on his phone. A warrant later uncovered more than 20 images depicting abused minors, and prosecutors charged him accordingly.

          In Salt Lake County district court, Zinn was sentenced to zero to five years for obstruction and one to 15 years for each exploitation count, with the judge ordering the terms to run concurrently. The exact amount of time he will serve will be decided by the Utah parole board.


          Remembering Charlie Kirk: A Conservative Voice Silenced

          The backdrop to this strange prosecution is one of the most shocking episodes of political violence in recent U.S. history. On Sept. 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk โ€” founder and executive director of the conservative youth advocacy group Turning Point USA and a leading voice in the MAGA movement โ€” was assassinated by a sniper while speaking at an outdoor event on the Utah Valley University campus.

          Kirk, just 31 years old, had become one of the most recognizable young conservative figures in America. He built Turning Point USA from a student organization into a powerful grassroots force shaping Republican campaigns, energizing young voters, and challenging campus liberal orthodoxy across the country.

          Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

          His death prompted an outpouring of grief and outrage from Republican leaders and conservative grassroots activists, who saw the attack as not just a crime but part of a broader pattern of hostility toward conservatives. Thousands attended memorial events, and his legacy has become a rallying point in debates over political violence and free speech on college campuses and beyond.

          The suspect in the shooting โ€” 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson โ€” was later arrested and charged with aggravated murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, underscoring the gravity of the crime and the national attention still focused on the case.


          What This Means Going Forward

          Zinnโ€™s sentencing closes one strange chapter in the unfolding story of the Kirk assassination, but it also highlights the turmoil that followed one of the most prominent conservative leaders of his generation. A man who tried โ€” for reasons still unclear โ€” to throw law enforcement off the trail of the real shooter now faces prison time for his own criminal behavior.

          CBS Parent Company In Talks To Settle Trumpโ€™s Lawsuit: Report

            1

            CBS parent company Paramount has entered discussions with Presidentย Donald Trumpย to settle a $10 billion lawsuit brought by the president

            Trump sued after CBSย  aired an edited interview with former Vice Presidentย Kamala Harris, who at the time was Trumpโ€™s opponent in the presidential race.

            Theย Timesย reportedย thatย Shari Redstone, who is Paramountโ€™s controlling shareholder, stands to make billions on a pending sale of the company to Skydance:

            Settlement discussions between representatives of Paramount and Mr. Trump are now underway, according to three people with knowledge of the talks. There is no assurance, though, that they will result in a deal, and it is unclear what the terms of any such deal might include.

            Shari Redstone, Paramountโ€™s controlling shareholder, strongly supports the effort to settle, according to two people with knowledge of her thinking. Ms. Redstone stands to clear billions of dollars on the sale of Paramount, the media empire founded by her father Sumner Redstone, in a deal with Skydance, an entertainment company backed by the billionaire Larry Ellison and run by his son David.

            A settlement would be an extraordinary concession by a major U.S. media company to a sitting president, especially in a case in which there is no evidence that the network got facts wrong or damaged the plaintiffโ€™s reputation.

            The heart of Trumpโ€™s lawsuit centers on a question directed at Harris about the Middle East fromย Bill Whitaker. A preview of her response aired duringย Face the Nationย was different from the response viewers ofย 60 Minutesย saw. Trumpโ€™s lawyers argued CBS made Harris look better in primetime by airing a crisper response.

            โ€œCBS News said that Ms. Harris had given one lengthy answer to Mr. Whitakerโ€™s question, and that the network followed standard journalistic practice by airing a different portion of her answer in prime-time because of time constraints,โ€ the Times said.

            Trump Transports Raided Materials Back To Mar-A-Lago

              2
              Marine One lifts-off after returning President Donald J. Trump to Mar-a-Lago Friday, March 29, 2019, following his visit to the 143-mile Herbert Hoover Dike near Canal Point, Fla., that surrounds Lake Okeechobee. The visit was part of an infrastructure inspection of the dike, which is part of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee Everglades system, and reduces impacts of flooding for areas of south Florida. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian) [Photo Credit: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

              It’s over…

              Presidentย Donald Trumpย said he is taking the government-generated documents found in Mar-a-Lago after his first term, where they were seized by the FBI, back to Florida.

              The president took to Truth Social on Friday to say he is taking the documents back:

              The Department of Justice has just returned the boxes that Deranged Jack Smith made such a big deal about. They are being brought down to Florida and will someday be part of the Trump Presidential Library. Justice finally won out. I did absolutely nothing wrong. This was merely an attack on a political opponent that, obviously, did not work well. Justice in our Country will now be restored.

              The FBI seized the documents at Trumpโ€™s Florida home and resort in August 2022. Agents found boxes of documents all over Mar-a-Lagoincluding in a ballroom, a storage room, and a bathroom. Two months before, an attorney for Trump attested to the Department of Justice that to the best of her knowledge, no government documents were at Mar-a-Lago. The raid showed otherwise.

              Trump has long claimed he declassified the documents in question and that he took them โ€œvery legally.โ€

              โ€œThereโ€™s something going on because theyโ€™re going after me viciously,โ€ he said in March 2024. โ€œThen all of a sudden it comes out that Biden took 10 times the number of documents that I did. And I took them very legally and I wasnโ€™t hiding them.

              On Friday, Kyle Griffin of NBC News reported that White House staffers were seen loading about 15 boxes on Air Force One en route to Mar-a-Lago.

              Trump was criminally prosecuted by former Special Counselย Jack Smith, who alleged that the president willfully took classified material to Mar-a-Lago after departing the White House in January 2021.ย 

              Judgeย Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Trump in 2020, ultimately dismissed the case on the grounds that Smithโ€™s appointment as special counsel was illegal.

              Supreme Court Justices Targets of Assassination by Left-wing Abortion Extremists: Alito

                3
                Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

                ANALYSIS โ€“ย Following the first-ever leak of a pendingย Supreme Courtย decision, left-wingย abortionย extremists have threatened the lives of the conservative justices.

                First by calling for violence and posting their personal details online, then by having daily aggressive protests at their homes.

                The threats even extended to their families and children.

                There was also a specific assassination attempt against Justiceย Brett Kavanaughย in June when an armed man,ย Nicholas John Roske, 26,ย traveled across the country to Justice Kavanaughโ€™s home to kill him.

                In that case, the U.S. Marshalsย discoveredย Roske had a โ€œblack tactical chest rig and tactical knife,โ€ a pistol with two magazines and ammunition, pepper spray, zip ties, a hammer, a screwdriver, a nail punch, a crowbar, a pistol light and duct tape, in addition to other items, according to the affidavit.ย 

                The affidavit noted that his plan was to break into the house, kill the justice and then kill himself.

                And the threats to the court continue.

                These events are unprecedented in the history of the Supreme Court and have been dutifully ignored by the establishment media,ย Joe Bidenย and the Democrats.

                In aย letterย to Bidenโ€™s Attorney Generalย Merrick Garland, attorneys general from 19 states write, โ€œcharities that support pregnant mothers in need have been firebombed and pro-life organizations have been attacked almost daily and terrorized.โ€

                They then urge him to investigate the barrage of threats and attacks made against pro-life judges and pro-life organizations.

                Instead, the left focus endlessly on how conservatives are โ€˜extremistsโ€™ and a danger to democracy.

                They also blather endlessly about MAGA โ€˜election deniersโ€™ while ignoring all those on the left who now deny the legitimacy of the Supreme Court.

                So, as we near the critical midterm election, it is time to remind voters of who the dangerous violent extremists really are.

                As Newsmax reported:

                Supreme Court Justiceย Samuel Alitoย said this week that the leaking of a draft decision to overturnย Roe v. Wadeย put the lives of him and his fellow justices at risk.

                โ€œIt was a grave betrayal of trust by somebody,โ€ Alito said at a public interview with the Heritage Foundation on Tuesday, according toย The New York Times. โ€œIt was a shock, because nothing like that had happened in the past. It certainly changed the atmosphere at the court for the remainder of last term.โ€

                He went on to say, โ€œThe leak also made those of us who were thought to be in the majority in support of overruling Roe and Casey targets for assassination because it gave people a rational reason to think they could prevent that from happening by killing one of us.โ€

                Alito also hit out at those who question the courtโ€™s legitimacy following the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

                โ€œEverybody in this country is free to disagree with our decisions,โ€ he said. โ€œEverybody is free to criticize our reasoning, and in strong terms. And that certainly is done in the media, in writings of law professors and on social media.โ€

                โ€œBut to say the court is exhibiting lack of integrity is something quite different,โ€ he added. โ€œThat goes to character.โ€

                Justice Alito authored the draft and final opinion that reversed the poorly reasoned Roe v. Wade decision that created a non-existing constitutional right to abortion.

                He is part of the 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court.

                So, whenever the left screams about โ€˜violentย right-wing extremists,โ€™ or โ€˜election deniersโ€™ being a threat to democracy, remind them of the left-wing violence against pro-life centers and churches, the assassination attempt against a conservative Supreme Court Justice and all thoseย who now deny the legitimacy of our nationโ€™s highest court.ย 

                Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.