On June 26, 2024, the Supreme Court held that the federal statute barring bribery of state and local officials does not cover gratuities. This was welcome news for WLF, which filed an amicus brief supporting the defendant. As WLF’s brief showed, the Seventh Circuit’s rule was atextual. The text of 18 U.S.C. § 666 criminalizes only bribery. The Seventh Circuit’s rule also conflicted with recent Supreme Court precedent limiting the scope of similar federal criminal statutes. Finally, the practical consequences of the Seventh Circuit’s rule were absurd. It criminalized giving an apple to a public-school teacher. The brief was prepared with the pro bono assistance of Christopher D. Man and Abbe David Lowell of Winston & Strawn LLP.
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