Media Tip Sheet: Fischer v United States- Jan 6 Rioters


April 16, 2024

WASHINGTON (April 16, 2024) – The Supreme Court of the United States will hear arguments for Fischer v. United States today. This case will answer the question of whether Jan. 6 rioters can be charged with obstruction. Hundreds of pro-Trump rioters were charged in 2021 after disrupting the transition and certification of a new President for the first time in US History.  

Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available to offer insight, analysis and commentary. If you would like to speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations at [email protected].

Law
Paul Schiff Berman is the Walter S. Cox Professor of Law at the George Washington University Law School. Professor Berman is one of the world’s foremost theorists on the interactions among legal systems. Professor Berman is an expert on constitution and administrative law. 

 

Stephen A Saltzburg is the Wallace and Beverley Woodbury University Professor of Law; Co-director of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Program at the George Washington University Law School. Professor Saltzburg is an expert on evidence, procedure and litigation. Professor Saltzburg has held numerous governmental positions and continues to serve as a mediator for the U.S. Court of Appeals for DC. 

 

Program on Extremism

Jon Lewis is a research fellow at the GW Program on Extremism. He studies domestic violent extremism and homegrown violent extremism, with a specialization in the evolution of white supremacist and anti-government movements in the United States and federal responses to the threat. Lewis is the co-author of two major Program reports on the events of January 6th, as well as numerous long form publications on the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers and their role in the events of January 6th. In addition, Lewis manages the Program's Capitol Hill Siege database, which is a public tracker for all federal cases stemming from J6 participation.

Lewis can discuss what the implications of the SCOTUS case are and what it would mean if the court agreed with defendants when the court makes its decision in June. 

 

-GW-