Current:Home > StocksSupreme Court overturns ex-mayor’s bribery conviction, narrowing scope of public corruption law -Golden Horizon Investments
Supreme Court overturns ex-mayor’s bribery conviction, narrowing scope of public corruption law
View
Date:2025-04-11 15:17:23
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court overturned the bribery conviction of a former Indiana mayor on Wednesday in an opinion that narrows the scope of public corruption law.
The high court sided 6-3 with James Snyder, who was convicted of taking $13,000 from a trucking company after prosecutors said he steered about $1 million worth of city contracts their way.
Snyder, a Republican, has maintained his innocence, saying the money was payment for consulting work.
His attorneys argued before the high court that prosecutors hadn’t proved there was a “quid pro quo” exchange agreement before the contracts were awarded, and prosecuting officials for gratuities given after the fact unfairly criminalizes normal gift giving.
The Justice Department countered that the law was clearly meant to cover gifts “corruptly” given to public officials as rewards for favored treatment.
Snyder was elected mayor of the small Indiana city of Portage, located near Lake Michigan, in 2011 and reelected four years later. He was indicted and removed from office when he was first convicted in 2019.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.
veryGood! (92)
Related
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- ConocoPhillips’ Plan for Extracting Half-a-Billion Barrels of Crude in Alaska’s Fragile Arctic Presents a Defining Moment for Joe Biden
- Climate Change Poses a Huge Threat to Railroads. Environmental Engineers Have Ideas for How to Combat That
- Judge rebukes Fox attorneys ahead of defamation trial: 'Omission is a lie'
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- The math behind Dominion Voting System's $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News
- Inside Clean Energy: In Illinois, an Energy Bill Passes That Illustrates the Battle Lines of the Broader Energy Debate
- In the Latest Rights of Nature Case, a Tribe Is Suing Seattle on Behalf of Salmon in the Skagit River
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- Rural Pennsylvanians Set to Vote for GOP Candidates Who Support the Natural Gas Industry
Ranking
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- Naomi Campbell Welcomes Baby No. 2
- The life and possible death of low interest rates
- The loneliness of Fox News' Bret Baier
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- Pete Davidson Enters Rehab for Mental Health
- Kim Cattrall Reveals One Demand She Had for Her And Just Like That Surprise Appearance
- The pharmaceutical industry urges courts to preserve access to abortion pill
Recommendation
Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
Biden Tightens Auto Emissions Standards, Reversing Trump, and Aims for a Quantum Leap on Electric Vehicles by 2030
Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards’ Daughter Sami Shares Her Riskiest OnlyFans Photo Yet in Sheer Top
Whatever His Motives, Putin’s War in Ukraine Is Fueled by Oil and Gas
US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
See Bre Tiesi’s Shoutout to “Daddy” Nick Cannon on Their Son Legendary Love’s First Birthday
See Bre Tiesi’s Shoutout to “Daddy” Nick Cannon on Their Son Legendary Love’s First Birthday
A career coach unlocks the secret to acing your job interview and combating anxiety