WASHINGTON, DC—Edward (Jacob) Lang’s case took a positive turn last week when the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case brought by one of his January 6 co-defendants.

Lang, a former Narrowsburg resident and Honesdale High School student,  was arrested soon after the attack on the Capitol in 2021, when he lived in Newburgh, NY. He has been in prison ever since. His X (formerly Twitter) profile reads: “Jake Lang Jan 6 Polticial Prisoner for 1040 days without a trial.”

He is accused of wielding deadly weapons against Capitol police officers, including a bat and a shield. He is also charged with obstruction of an official proceeding, a charge that he and two other defendants— Garrett Miller and Joseph Fischer—have challenged.

The Supreme Court on December 13 agreed to hear the case brought by Fischer to dismiss the obstruction charge. The court’s decision, expected by the end of June, will affect not only the three men but former President Trump and hundreds of other January 6 defendants who all face the same charge. The crime carries a maximum of 20 years in prison.

The defendants say the U.S. Justice Department is wrongly charging them under a statute created after the Enron scandal of the early 2000s. The energy company’s accounting firm was charged with obstruction for destroying millions of documents just as the Securities and Exchange Commission was beginning to investigate. The defendants say the statute, part of the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act, is not broad enough to apply to their cases.

The defendants were charged with obstruction for interrupting the joint session of Congress where lawmakers were certifying Electoral College votes.

The FBI made their case with numerous photos and videos posted by Lang and others who were at the Capitol that day. “In the video,” said one FBI agent’s affadavit, “Lang swung, thrusted, and/or jabbed the bat at law enforcement officers multiple times. In doing so, LANG struck at least the shields the officers held in front of them. As the video progresses, others in the crowd assist in the attack, with some throwing items and one individual spraying the officers with a fire extinguisher.”

Last month, Lang reflected on his time behind bars. He posted on X, “This year is my 3rd Thanksgiving away from my family in the basement of Washington DC Jail Gulag—in solitary confinement....

“Look for Christ at your Thanksgiving table this year, and know I am right there with him; me and all the Jan 6ers—pass the gravy! Enjoy & rejoice in your freedom—it isn’t free.”