Supreme Court gives skeptical eye to key statute used to prosecute Jan. 6 rioters

People walk by as supporters of Jan. 6 defendants gather outside of the Supreme Court on Tuesday. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

The U.S. Supreme Court appeared divided on Tuesday, with conservatives expressing various degrees of skepticism about the statute used to prosecute more than 350 people involved with the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

At least partially on the line at Tuesday's argument was the Justice Department's effort to punish some of those it deems the more serious participants in the Capitol riot. Roughly one-quarter of those prosecuted so far for their roles in the Capitol invasion have been charged with violating a federal statute enacted after the Enron scandal in 2002, a scandal that involved massive document shredding and fraud.