Mar 7, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Judge dismisses Capitol riot obstruction charge

Julia Shapero

Trump supporters stand on a U.S. Capitol Police armored vehicle as others take over the steps of the Capitol — A scene from the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

A federal judge dismissed an obstruction charge against a man accused of storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, opting for a more narrow reading of federal obstruction law.

Why it matters: The decision could affect hundreds of other Jan. 6 defendants facing a similar charge of obstruction.

The charge of "Obstruction of an Official Proceeding" appears 176 times in the Department of Justice's list of Capitol Breach Cases.

Between the lines: D.C. District Judge Carl Nichols said in a 16-page opinion, published on Monday, that ambiguities in the wording of the law require him to take a narrow reading of the law.

Based on this reading of the law, Nichols said the conduct of the defendant, Garret Miller, falls outside the scope of the law.
However, Miller faces a number of other felony charges related to the Jan. 6 riot, according to Politico.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show that Garret Miller (not Carl Nichols) faces a number of felony charges related to the Jan. 6 riot.

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Judge dismisses Capitol riot obstruction charge

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