United States v. Harriss

347 U.S. 612 (1954)

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United States v. Harriss

United States Supreme Court
347 U.S. 612 (1954)

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Facts

Tom Linder, the commissioner of agriculture for the State of Georgia; Ralph Moore, a trader of commodity futures; and Robert Harriss, a commodity broker (defendants), were directors of the National Farm Committee (NFC) (defendant). Each of the defendants was indicted for violating the Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act (FRLA), 2 U.S.C. §§ 261-70. Harriss was indicted for failing to report expenditures of his own money to influence legislation, while Linder and Moore were indicted for seeking to influence Congress for pay without registering with Congress. NFC was indicted for failing to report the solicitation and receipt of contributions to influence the enactment of legislation. The trial court dismissed the indictments, finding that the FRLA was unconstitutional as enacted. The federal government appealed directly to the United States Supreme Court.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Warren, C.J.)

Dissent (Douglas, J.)

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