Supreme Court Overturns Major Convictions Against Patrick Daley Thompson

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of former Chicago Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson, overturning two counts related to his conviction for lying to bank regulators. The court clarified that the law prohibits only outright false statements, not misleading ones that may be technically true. Chief Justice John Roberts emphasized that misleading statements can be true and thus do not fall under the criminal statute, which only addresses false statements. Thompson, who has already served a prison sentence for his convictions, was initially found guilty of lying regarding loans he took out from a now-defunct bank. This ruling does not affect other felony convictions he faces, including tax fraud. The decision marks a significant precedent regarding the definitions of false versus misleading statements in legal contexts.