US Supreme Court Overturns Anderson Conviction

In a defeat for the Justice Department, the Supreme Court today reversed the 2002 criminal convictions for obstructing justice against Arthur Anderson.

The Supreme Court said that the federal judge presiding over the trial should have instructed the jury that the government had to show that Arthur Anderson employees were breaking the law when they destroyed the documents. Instead, the judge instructed the jury that even if Anderson believed its conduct was lawful, they could convict.

Read the Supreme Court opinion, Arthur Anderson LLP v. United States here.