Dennis V. United States
The Supreme Court Case of Dennis v. United States
When researching court cases, I found a case that was very intriguing to me. This was a United States Supreme Court case in 1951, involving Eugene Dennis who was the general secretary of the Communist Party USA. It also involved 10 other members of the CPUSA. The Communist Party of the United States of America is a Marxist-Leninist political party in the United States. The case also dealt with the citizen’s rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution. Keep in mind that the First Amendment to the Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that expressly prohibits the United States Congress from making laws “respecting an establishment of religion” or that prohibit the free exercise of religion, laws that infringe the freedom of speech, infringe the freedom of press, limit the right to peaceably assemble, or limit the right to petition the government for redress or grievances.
Representing the petitioners were George W. Crockett, Abraham J. Iceman, Harry Sachet, and on the brief was Richard Gradstein. Arguing for the United States was Solicitor General Philip B. Perlman and Irving S. Shapiro. With them on the brief were U.S Attorney General James Howard McGrath, U.S Assistant Attorney General McKiernan, Irving H. Sepal, Robert W. Inane, Frank H Gordon, Edward C. Wallace, and Lawrence K. Bailey. On July 1948, the petitioners were indicted for violating a provision of the Smith Act. The Smith Act is a U.S federal statue that makes it a criminal offense for anyone to knowingly or willfully advocate, abet, advice or teach the duty, necessity, desirability or property of overthrowing the Government of the United States or of any State by force or violence, or for anyone to organize any association which teaches, advices or encourages such an overthrow, or for anyone to become a member of or to affiliate with any such association. The trail court found the petitioners guilty and the...
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