Clarence Thomas returns after unexplained absence as Supreme Court hears Jan. 6 case

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was back on the bench Tuesday, a day after he missed oral arguments without explanation.

Thomas asked the first question in Tuesday's oral arguments into whether prosecutors can charge hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants with obstruction for interrupting Congress as it certified President Joe Biden’s victory.

The justices were asked to interpret an obstruction law Congress approved after the Enron scandal in 2002. One of the defendants contends that law aimed to punish the destruction of documents. But prosecutors called it a catchall that covers the obstruction of official meetings.

The disputed...