Shaffer v. United States

255 F. 886 (1919)

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Shaffer v. United States

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
255 F. 886 (1919)

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Facts

Shaffer (defendant) mailed a book, titled The Finished Mystery. The book was critical of the war and of patriotism. It stated that the war was wrong and that there was no proof that Germany intended to attack the United States. The book also claimed that no issue in the war was worth the life of an American soldier. The government (plaintiff) also discovered that Shaffer hid copies of this book on his property. Shaffer was convicted of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 based on his proliferation of the book. Shaffer appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

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Holding and Reasoning ()

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