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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaSupreme Court hears 6 Jan case that may hit Trump trialPublished2 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsUS Capitol riotsImage source, Brent StirtonImage caption, Hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol after holding a “Stop the Steal” rally on 6 January, 2021By Nadine YousifBBC NewsThe US Supreme Court have begun hearing a case that could undo charges for those who stormed the Capitol in 2021. It focuses on whether a 2002 federal law created to prevent corporate misconduct could apply to individuals involved in the 6 January riots. More than 350 people have been charged in the incident under that law, which carries a 20-year prison penalty.Donald Trump faces the same charge in the pending federal case accusing him of election interference. The law makes it a crime to “corruptly” obstruct or impede an official proceeding. On Tuesday, Supreme Court Justices heard two hours of arguments over the law’s interpretation. However, it remained unclear how they would rule. A lawyer for a man who stormed the Capitol and was prosecuted under the law argued before the Justices that “a host of felony and misdemeanour” crimes already exist to prosecute his clients actions.The 2002 law passed in the wake of the Enron accounting scandal, Jeffrey Green said, was not one of them. US Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar counterargued that rioters deliberately attempted “to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the election,” therefore obstructing an official proceeding. Both fielded sceptical questions from the Justices. At one point, Mr Green argued that there is no historical precedent in which the law was used to prosecute demonstrators.Justice Sonia Sotomayor replied: “We’ve never had a situation before where (there was an attempt) to stop a proceeding violently, so I am not sure what a lack of history proves.”On the other hand, Ms Prelogar fielded questions from Justice Neil Gorusch on whether the law could then be stretched to apply to a “sit-in that disrupts a trial” or “a heckler” at the State of the Union Address. “Would pulling a fire alarm before a vote qualify for 20 years in federal prison?” he asked, appearing to reference an incident in which Jamaal Bowman, Democrat House representative, pressed a fire alarm in the Capitol.How the top court rules could have wide-ranging effects on the hundreds of people charged, convicted or sentenced under the law, as well as the prosecution of Mr Trump. Here is a breakdown of the key players and the law being argued: What is the 2002 federal law at the centre of the trial?The law is called the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. It was passed in response to the Enron scandal in the early 2000s, after it was exposed that those involved had engaged in massive fraud and shredding documents. It criminalizes the destruction of evidence – like records or documents. But it also penalises anyone who “otherwise obstructs, influences or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so.” How has it been used in response to the 6 January riots?Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) has brought obstruction charges against those who participated in the storming of the Capitol. Federal prosecutors argue they did so to impede Congress’ certification of the presidential electoral vote count to cement Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 election. Therefore, the latter portion of the law that deals with obstructing an “official proceeding” would apply, the DoJ says. Who is challenging the law’s use in this case, and why? The Supreme Court is hearing a challenge to the law’s application brought forward by a former Pennsylvania police officer.Joseph Fischer was charged under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act with obstruction of a congressional proceeding on 6 January, as well as assaulting a police officer and disorderly conduct. His lawyers argue that prosecutors overreached with applying the Act, which they say deals explicitly with destroying or tampering with evidence integral to an investigation. Those who challenge the law’s application in 6 January cases also argue that a broad interpretation of the law would allow the prosecution of lobbyists or protestors who disrupt matters in Congress.How could the Supreme Court ruling impact Trump?The former president is charged under the very same law in a federal case accusing him of working to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he lost to Mr Biden.If Supreme Court justices rule that the law does not apply to the 6 January rioters, Mr Trump could seek dismissal of half the charges he faces in that case.It also could be seen as a political win for the former president, who is seeking re-election in November, as he repeatedly has accused prosecutors of overreach. A final ruling is not expected until June. 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[ad_1] The case could undo felony charges for the former president and hundreds of 6 January rioters.
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaWhat we know about the attack on a Moscow concert hallPublished31 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingThis video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Footage shows people taking cover inside the venue as multiple shots are heardThe attack on a Moscow concert hall on Friday was the worst in Russia for years. More than 100 people were killed as gunmen stormed the complex, days after President Vladimir Putin began his fifth term of office.This is what is known about the attack.How did the attack unfold? Crocus City Hall, on the outskirts of Moscow – 20km (12 miles) from the Kremlin – was about to host a concert by the rock group Picnic when gunmen burst into the foyer at around 20:00 (17:00 GMT) on Friday evening.Video showed at least four people in some kind of camouflage uniform shooting randomly before proceeding into the concert hall itself and opening fire there. Inside the auditorium, a woman said she and other visitors rushed towards the stage as soon as they realised shots were being fired. “I saw a person in the stalls with a sidearm and there were cracks [of gunfire] going off, I was trying to crawl behind a loudspeaker,” she told Russian TV.At some point, fire can be seen inside the hall. Flames later engulfed the facade, while glass on the top two floors of the seven-storey building blew out.”The terrorists used a flammable liquid to set fire to the concert hall’s premises, where spectators were located, including wounded,” Russia’s Investigative Committee said.Moscow attack live updates: Eleven arrested over Moscow concert attackBullets, a crush and panic: Moscow concert that became a massacreHelicopters were brought in to drop about 160 tonnes of water, but it took some 10 hours for the fire to be contained.By the time the suspects escaped, hundreds had been killed and injured. Many died from bullet wounds, some as a result of smoke inhalation. Picnic’s band members themselves were unharmed.Who are the victims?More than 6,000 Russians had flocked to the retail and concert complex for the event. The number of those who were killed has been rising steadily. By Saturday afternoon, at least 133 had been confirmed dead. The first official list of casualties suggested the oldest victim was in her 70s, with three children among the dead.This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Watch: BBC Verify examines video taken by those caught up in the attack on the Crocus City Hall theatre outside MoscowIn addition to those killed, at least 60 remain in a serious condition and authorities have warned more could die.Many of those killed and wounded came from Krasnogorsk, Khimki and other nearby towns on Moscow’s north-western fringe.Who are the attackers?It appears that those who carried out the attack managed to escape the inferno and mayhem they left behind and a manhunt began.Russian MP Alexander Khinshtein said the attackers fled in a white Renault car. According to him, police tried to stop the vehicle in the Bryansk region, about 340km (210 miles) away from Moscow, managing to arrest two people as the others fled.Some 14 hours after the first reports of shooting, Russia’s FSB security service announced 11 people had been arrested, including four “directly involved”. Their identities have not been announced. Unconfirmed reports have mentioned nationals from Tajikistan – Mr Khinshtein said passports from the country had been found in the car. Who was behind the attack?In a brief statement on Friday, the Islamic State group (IS) said it was behind the attack. On Saturday, it released a photograph of what it said were the four attackers.Russian authorities have not commented on the claim, which comes two weeks after the US warned of a potential attack targeting “large gatherings” in Moscow. Russian officials have complained the US intelligence lacked specific detail.And last week, President Vladimir Putin said: “Recent provocative statements by a number of official Westerns structures about the possibility of terrorist attacks in Russia… resembles outright blackmail and an intention to intimidate and destabilise our society.”The US had singled out ISIS-Khorasan or ISIS-K, an offshoot of IS which seeks to establish a Muslim caliphate across Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Iran.”ISIS-K has been fixated on Russia for the past two years,” the New York Times cited Colin Clarke, a counterterrorism analyst based in New York.”ISIS-K accuses the Kremlin of having Muslim blood in its hands, referencing Moscow’s interventions in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Syria,” Mr Clarke said.While the Russian authorities have not commented on the IS claim, Mr Putin said the assailants were caught as they were trying to flee to Ukraine.The FSB said they had “relevant contacts” there, but no details have been given. Ukraine has swiftly dismissed the Russian claims as “absolutely untenable and absurd”.Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Image source, .Related TopicsRussiaMoscowTop StoriesLive. All four suspects arrested after at least 133 killed in Moscow concert attackBullets, a crush and panic: Moscow concert that became a massacrePublished1 hour agoKate cancer diagnosis rewrites story of past weeksPublished13 hours agoFeaturesWhat is preventative chemotherapy?Kate: We’ve taken time to reassure George, Charlotte and Louis VideoKate: We’ve taken time to reassure George, Charlotte and Louis What Kate video tells us about royal strategyMoscow concert hall attack videos examined. 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