On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice moved to drop a charge against January 6 riot defendant Taylor Taranto following a June Supreme Court ruling regarding the application of the federal obstruction statute, according to court filings.
In a 6-3 decision on June 28, the Supreme Court narrowed the scope of the federal obstruction statute used to charge over 355 Capitol riot defendants, limiting its application in related prosecutions. Prosecutors have started to back down from the charge in the wake of the ruling.
On January 6, 2021, thousands of Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S Capitol building in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden‘s 2020 election victory. The riot erupted following claims from Trump that the election had been stolen from him via widespread voter fraud, despite there being no evidence to back up his claims. The insurrection resulted in one protester being shot dead and dozens of police officers injured.
Taranto is accused of entering the Capitol on January 6 and getting into a “scuffle” with police who were trying to get him to leave the building. Had Taranto’s run-in with the law ended on January 6, the dropping of the obstruction charge would have left him with just misdemeanor offenses. However, Taranto is also charged with having illegal firearms near former President Barack Obama‘s house.
The 38-year-old is still facing two felony charges of carrying a pistol without a license and possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device. He was arrested near Obama’s home after allegedly making threats to commit violence against a federal facility.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Prosecutors are dropping an obstruction charge against Taylor Taranto after a Supreme Court ruling, although the Capitol riot defendant still faces multiple felony charges.
Department of Justice
