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Blau v. United States, 340 U.S. 332 (1951)
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General SummaryThis case is from a collection containing the full text of over 16,000 Supreme Court cases from 1793 to the present. The body of Supreme Court decisions are, effectively, the final interpretation of the Constitution. Only an amendment to the Constitution can permanently overturn an interpretation and this has happened only four times in American history.
Blau v. United States, 340 U.S. 332 (1951)
Blau v. United States No. 21 Argued November 7, 1950 Decided January 15, 1951 340 U.S. 332
CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT
Syllabus
Petitioner, a witness before a federal grand jury in response to a summons, declined to answer questions concerning activities and records of the Communist Party in Colorado, claiming his constitutional privilege against self-incrimination. Asserting his privilege against disclosing confidential communications between husband and wife, he also refused to reveal the whereabouts of his wife, who was wanted by the grand jury as a witness in connection with the same investigation. It was undisputed that he obtained his knowledge of his wife’s whereabouts by communication from her. The District Court overruled both claims of privilege and sentenced petitioner to imprisonment for contempt of court.
Held:
1. Failure to sustain petitioner’s claim of privilege against self-incrimination was error. Blau v. United States, 340 U.S. 159. P. 333.
2. Petitioner was entitled to rely on his privilege against disclosing confidential communications between husband and wife because the Government failed to overcome the presumption that the communications were confidential. Pp. 333-334.
Contents:
Chicago: U.S. Supreme Court, "Syllabus," Blau v. United States, 340 U.S. 332 (1951) in 340 U.S. 332 340 U.S. 333. Original Sources, accessed November 22, 2024, http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=1HVFWR33ESFWADC.
MLA: U.S. Supreme Court. "Syllabus." Blau v. United States, 340 U.S. 332 (1951), in 340 U.S. 332, page 340 U.S. 333. Original Sources. 22 Nov. 2024. http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=1HVFWR33ESFWADC.
Harvard: U.S. Supreme Court, 'Syllabus' in Blau v. United States, 340 U.S. 332 (1951). cited in 1951, 340 U.S. 332, pp.340 U.S. 333. Original Sources, retrieved 22 November 2024, from http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=1HVFWR33ESFWADC.
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