James E. Snyder, Petitioner v. United States

  1. December 20, 2024

    Biggest Illinois Decisions Of 2024

    A U.S. Supreme Court decision narrowing the federal bribery statute caused waves in several high-profile Chicago public corruption cases at every litigation stage, almost instantly making a former Indiana mayor's high court win one of the biggest Illinois cases of the year.

  2. July 05, 2024

    The Funniest Moments Of The Supreme Court's Term

    In a U.S. Supreme Court term teeming with serious showdowns, the august air at oral arguments filled with laughter after an attorney mentioned her plastic surgeon and a justice seemed to diss his colleagues, to cite just two of the term's mirthful moments. Here, we look at the funniest moments of the term.

  3. June 26, 2024

    Supreme Court Bribery Ruling Limits Government's 'Arsenal'

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Wednesday limiting the reach of a federal bribery law has removed a "novel" tool that prosecutors employed in a wide range of public corruption cases and could result in fewer prosecutions of state and local officials, experts say.

  4. June 26, 2024

    Justices Say Bribery Law Doesn't Criminalize Gratuities

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday narrowed the scope of a federal bribery law frequently used in corruption cases against local officials, in a 6-3 ruling in favor of a former Indiana mayor who argued the law only criminalizes quid pro quo bribery and not rewards given after an official act.

  5. April 15, 2024

    Justices Suggest Bribery Law Could Criminalize Routine Gifts

    U.S. Supreme Court justices pressed the federal government Monday to specify what kinds of rewards fall under a bribery statute frequently used in public corruption prosecutions and why they should be considered graft, voicing concerns that ordinary people could face hefty prison time for routine gift-giving.

  6. April 15, 2024

    Justice Thomas Misses Monday's Supreme Court Arguments

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was absent Monday for oral arguments examining disputes over whether accepting illegal gratuities without a quid pro quo is prohibited under a federal bribery statute and what test courts should apply when determining whether malicious prosecution claims can proceed. 

  7. April 12, 2024

    Up Next At High Court: Jan. 6, Gratuities & Ineffective Attys

    The U.S. Supreme Court will return Monday for the term's last two weeks of oral arguments, during which it will consider whether the U.S. Department of Justice can use the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to prosecute defendants accused of storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and the correct standard courts should apply when reviewing malicious prosecution claims.

  8. April 12, 2024

    Justices Could Limit Bribery Law Used In Ill. Corruption Cases

    The nation's top court will hear arguments Monday in a case that could narrow the scope of federal bribery law, and potentially upend major Chicago cases, if justices follow what experts say is their recent pattern of raising the bar for prosecuting corruption.

  9. March 12, 2024

    DOJ Tells Justices Bribery Law Covers Gratuities

    The U.S. Department of Justice urged the nation's top court Monday to find that a federal law prohibiting public officials from taking bribes also extends to illegal gratuities that don't require a quid pro quo, arguing that "context and history" backs its position in a closely watched case that has put multiple criminal corruption cases on ice in Illinois.