Snyder v. United States (Corruption)

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Snyder v. United States
Snyder served as the Mayor in a town in Indiana. After the town awarded a $1.2 million contract to a trucking company, he received a $13,000 payment from that company, he said this was for consulting services. He was prosecuted by the federal government and convicted for taking an illegal gratuity. He said that Section 666, which is what the charges were brought under, only prohibited bribes, not gratuities after the fact. The district court rejected this argument. The Seventh Circuit affirmed. The Court reversed, stating that for six reasons, the statute does not apply gratuities -- only bribes. Reversed and remanded. Kavanagh writing for the 6-3 majority, with Gorsuch concurring. Jackson writing for the dissent, joined by Kagan and Sotomayor.