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Page Number: 18.0

14 

FISCHER v. UNITED STATES 

Opinion of the Court 

The dissent tries to solve this surplusage problem by ar-
guing that conduct only violates (c)(2) if it has a “ ‘relation-
ship in time, causation, or logic’ ” with an official proceed-
ing.  Post, at 11 (quoting United States v. Aguilar, 515 U. S. 
593, 599 (1995)).  Assuming there is such a requirement, it 
would simply mean that the defendant’s actions “must have
the natural and probable effect” of interfering with the pro-
ceeding.  Id.,  at  599  (internal  quotation  marks  omitted).
Such a bar on prosecutions based on “speculative” theories 
of obstruction, id., at 601, would hardly cabin the reach of 
(c)(2).

The dissent points out that our reading creates some sur-
plusage, too.  See post, at 12–13.  In a wide-ranging scheme
like Chapter 73, it is true that some provisions will inevita-
bly  cover  some  of  the  same  conduct.    But  “surplusage  is
nonetheless disfavored,” and our “construction that creates 
substantially less of it is better than a construction that cre-
ates substantially more.”  64 F. 4th, at 374 (Katsas, J., dis-
senting). 

III 
On the Government’s theory, Section 1512(c) consists of 
a granular subsection (c)(1) focused on obstructive acts that 
impair evidence and an overarching subsection (c)(2) that
reaches  all  other  obstruction.  Even  setting  surplusage
aside, that novel interpretation would criminalize a broad 
swath  of  prosaic  conduct,  exposing  activists  and  lobbyists 
alike  to  decades  in  prison.  As  the  Solicitor  General 
acknowledged  at  oral  argument,  under  the  Government’s
interpretation,  a  peaceful  protester  could  conceivably  be 
charged under §1512(c)(2) and face a 20-year sentence.  Tr. 
of  Oral  Arg.  51–52.  And  the  Government  would  likewise 
have no apparent obstacle to prosecuting under (c)(2) any 
lobbying  activity  that  “influences”  an  official  proceeding
and is undertaken “corruptly.”  Those peculiar results “un-