More than a dozen former federal trial judges are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear an appeal by two lawyer-turned-film producers convicted in a tax fraud case that could have broader implications for the criminal and civil justice systems.

The 14 judges, who span the country from Alabama to New York and from New Jersey to California, have filed a supporting brief in the case Hoffman and Arata v. United States, in which Jeffrey Fisher, of counsel at O’Melveny & Myers, represents Peter Hoffman, Michael Arata and Susan Hoffman.