Supreme Court unanimously overturns convictions of ex-Christie aides in Bridgegate scandal

The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously threw out fraud convictions for two individuals involved in the infamous 2013 New Jersey “Bridgegate” scandal.

The court declared that the government had overreached in its prosecution of Bill Baroni and Bridget Kelly, who had attempted to create a large-scale traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge to politically punish the Fort Lee New Jersey's Democratic mayor who had failed to endorse then-GOP Gov. Chris Christie for reelection.

Kelly and Baroni were sentenced in 2017 to 13 to 18 months behind bars. They are now out on bond. 

Justice Elena Kagan wrote: the officials plot "jeopardized the safety of the town's residents," but "not every corrupt act by state or local officials is a federal crime."