Pipefitters Local Union No. 562 v. United States
United States Supreme Court
407 U.S. 385 (1972)
- Written by Galina Abdel Aziz , JD
Facts
From 1949 to 1962, Pipefitters Local Union No. 562 (union) (defendant) maintained a political fund to which members were required to donate. In 1963, the union replaced that fund with a separate voluntary organization. The union did not require members to make donations, and it segregated the political fund from the funds collected from member dues and assessments. Members were required to sign cards that included a statement that their donation was voluntary. The union did not exert pressure or take reprisals to obtain donations. The union used this fund to make $150,000 contributions to candidates in federal elections. A jury convicted Pipefitters and three individual Pipefitters officers of conspiracy to violate 18 U.S.C. § 610 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. The indictment charged the union with receiving systemic payments from its members, which created a fund that appeared to be separate and concealed the union’s expenditures in federal elections in violation of § 610. The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Brennan, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
