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2 

FISCHER v. UNITED STATES 

BARRETT, J., dissenting 

any  way—to  narrow  the  reach  of  subsection  (c)(2).    I  re-
spectfully dissent. 

I 
The case for the Government’s interpretation is straight-
forward.  It  can  be  accomplished  in  three  paragraphs,  as
compared to the Court’s many, many more.  Ante, at 4–12. 
Start with the verbs: To “obstruct” and to “impede” mean 
to “hinder” or “retard” something’s “passage” or “progress.” 
10  Oxford  English  Dictionary  668  (2d  ed.  1989);  7  id.,  at 
705.  We  have  previously  explained  that  these  words  are
“broad.”  Marinello v. United States, 584 U. S. 1, 7 (2018). 
To  “influence”  is  similarly  expansive,  meaning  “[t]o  affect
the condition of ” or “to have an effect on” something.  7 Ox-
ford English Dictionary, at 940.  The object of these verbs is
an “official proceeding,” defined to include “a proceeding be-
fore  the  Congress.”  18  U. S. C.  §1515(a)(1)(B).1    So  (c)(2) 
covers all sorts of actions that affect or interfere with official 
proceedings.

“[O]therwise,”  which  introduces  18  U. S. C.  §1512(c)(2), 
does not narrow its scope.  “Otherwise” means “in a differ-
ent manner,” “by other means,” or “in other respects.”  10 
Oxford English Dictionary, at 984; Webster’s Third New In-
ternational Dictionary 1598 (2002).  It is often used to in-
troduce a “catchall phras[e].”  Texas Dept. of Housing and 
Community  Affairs  v.  Inclusive  Communities  Project,  576 
U. S.  519,  535  (2015).    Here,  “otherwise”  tells  the  reader 
how (c)(1) and (c)(2) fit together.  Subsection (c)(1) prohibits 
“alter[ing], destroy[ing], mutilat[ing], or conceal[ing] a rec-
ord, document, or other object” with “intent to impair [its] 
integrity or availability for use in an official proceeding.”  In 
other words, (c)(1) targets document and object spoliation— 

—————— 

1 The  D.  C.  Circuit  held,  and  this  Court  does  not  dispute,  that  Con-
gress’s joint session on January 6, 2021, qualifies as an “ ‘official proceed-
ing.’ ”  64 F. 4th 329, 342 (2023).