Practice - Criminal Defense: White Collar Crime: Supreme Court Reverses Andersen Conviction

In the United States v. Andersen case, the US Supreme Court reversed the obstruction of justice conviction of the accounting firm Arthur Andersen. The Supreme Court's unanimous decision in Andersen, in its terse language and clear conclusions, contains an implicit rebuke of the government for overreaching in its requests to charge the jury. Ironically, long before the jury selection even began, the government had put itself in the role of trier of fact, and its determination of Andersen's guilt sentenced the firm to an untimely demise.