THE JAN. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol (Shutterstock).

Did the U.S. Department of Justice go too far in charging “participants” in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol with obstruction?

The Supreme Court is considering that argument in connection with a charge of a defendant indicted for his role in disrupting efforts to prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.

This case is considered significant because it could affect the fate of former president Donald Trump, who is also charged with obstruction of an official proceeding.

There could also be an impact of the issue of whether a former president could be prosecuted after leaving office.

The defendant in the disruption case is Joseph Fischer, whose attorney’s claims he entered the Capitol building only after Congress had recessed and he was pushed inside by the press of the crowd.

Jurors are selected in “hush money trial”

The first six jurors have been selected in the “hush money” trial of former president Donald Trump. Another 12 jurors still must be selected.

DONALD TRUMP (Shutterstock).

Trump is facing a total of 34 counts of falsifying financial records for the purpose of concealing allegations that he paid money to a porn actress and a Playboy model and a Trump Tower doorman about stories that he had extramarital affairs with the two women.

He is also accused for paying $150,000 to the publisher of the National Enquirer to prevent damaging allegations against Trump from being published.

The money allegedly misdirected came from federal campaign finance documents filed in 2016, when Trump had his first run for the presidency. Whether that constituted a misdemeanor offense or a felony is part of what the court must decide.

Trojan valedictorian speech cancelled

Plans for valedictorian speech feared to be “pro-Palestinian” have been cancelled at the University of Southern California. University officials made the announcement about fears of violence.

The valedictorian, Asthma Tabassum, said, “I am both shocked by this decision and profoundly disappointed that the university is succumbing to a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice.”

There have been what’s described as “vociferous” debates on pro-Palestinian student protests at USC and other colleges and universities that some pro-Israeli groups say has “veered” into anti-Semitism.

USC President Andrew Guzman said, “The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include many voices outside of U.S.C. and has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at the commencement.”

Court victory for transgender girl

A transgender student won’t be prevented from playing on a sports team that “matched her gender identity.”

THE CONSTITUTION (Shutterstock).

The U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals made that ruling Tuesday on behalf of Becky Pepper-Jackson on the grounds that a West Virginia law seeking to prevent male-born-children from participating in athletics as a girl violated Title IX of a federal civil rights law.

Judge Toby Heytens wrote that offering a choice between participating as a boy or not playing was “no choice at all.”

The American Civil Liberties Union, which took up the case, said their client had been living as a girl for five years and had played sports as a girl during her elementary school years.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said the ruling affected only the one case and that the state law otherwise remains in effect.

Angels lose; Dodgers, Lakers win

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels went in different directions on Tuesday night with the Halos losing 7-6 in 13 innings to the Tampa Bay Rays and the Blue Crew slamming the Washington Nationals 6-2.

The Angels built an early lead with back-to-back home runs by  Mickey Moniak and Logan O’Hoppe. Trailing 4-2 going into the bottom of the ninth in Florida, the Rays touched reliever Carlos Estevez for three hits and two runs to send the game into extra innings.

The Angels pushed ahead 6-5 in the top of the 13th inning, but yielded two runs in the bottom of the inning. With the loss, the Halos are 8-9 and still in second place in the AL West.

The Dodgers hammered out 13 hits, including a 5-for-5 performance by Mookie Betts.  He drove in two runs and scored two. Shohei Ohtani was 2-for-5 and Teo Hernandez homered.     

The Dodgers are now 12-8 and remain in first in the NL West by  a game over the San Diego Padres.

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 110-106 on Tuesday night in a play-in game and will meet the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.

LeBron James scored 23 points, D’Angelo Russell 21 and Anthony Davis 20 in the win. Zion Williamson scored 40 points for the Pelicans before leaving with an injury.

Weather: Warmer and then cooler

Conditions in the West Orange County area remain springy, although temperatures will vary in coming days. The forecast for Wednesday is for partly cloudy skies with a high of 77 and a low of 55. Thursday and Friday will be similar with highs of 71 (and lows of 56 and 55) and conditions of cloudy and partly cloudy. Saturday should see morning fog and afternoon clouds.