Jurney v. MacCracken, 294 U.S. 125 (1935), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that Congress has an implicit power to find one in contempt of Congress.[1] During a Senate investigation of airlines and of the U.S. Postmaster General, the attorney William P. MacCracken, Jr. allowed his clients to destroy subpoenaed documents. After a one-week trial on the Senate floor (presided over by the Vice-President of the United States, acting as Senate President), MacCracken, a lawyer and former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics, was found guilty and sentenced to 10 days imprisonment.[2] MacCracken filed a petition of habeas corpus with the federal courts to overturn his arrest, but, after litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Congress had acted constitutionally, and denied the petition.[1]
The respondent, Chesley W. Jurney, was the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate, and hence the person with custody of MacCracken.
See also
References
- ^ a b Jurney v. MacCracken, 294 U.S. 125 (1935).
- ^ William P. Mac Cracken, Jr. Papers Archived 2008-04-21 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Text of Jurney v. MacCracken, 294 U.S. 125 (1935) is available from: CourtListener Findlaw Google Scholar Justia Library of Congress