18 U.S.C. Sec. 1512(E) AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE is a federal law that applies to criminal offenses related to the obstruction of justice. It provides an affirmative defense for individuals accused of obstruction of justice if the individual can show that they had a reasonable belief that their conduct was lawful. This section of the law applies to any alleged offense under 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1512(a). There are three types of 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1512(E) AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE: (1) the “advice of counsel” defense, which applies if the individual relied in good faith on the advice of an attorney; (2) the “justification” defense, which applies if the individual had a reasonable belief that their conduct was necessary to protect their legal rights; and (3) the “immunity” defense, which applies if the individual had a reasonable belief that their conduct was immune from prosecution.