Andersen Conviction Reversed by High Court

Not surprisingly, the Supreme Court in a 9-0 decision reversed the conviction of Arthur Andersen LLP. In a 11 1/2 page opinion authored by Chief Justice Rehnquist, the Court found that the "jury instructions failed to convey properly the elements of a 'corrup[t] persuas[ion]' conviction under sec. 1512(b)."  The Court also found that the jury instructions improperly told the jury that "it did not have to find any nexus between the 'persua[sion]' to destroy documents and any particular proceeding."

It's a brief opinion, but there is a lot to say about it.  Commentary on the decision will be forthcoming.

Decision is here - Download 04-368P.pdf

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