My Country – Contempt of Congress On April 23, 1917, the Supreme Court held that Congress could not hold in contempt a US Attorney, who wrote a letter, charging that a subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee was endeavoring to interfere with investigations being made by a grand jury. Historically, the House of Representatives could hold a …
My Country – A Religious Test for Public Office The Constitution provides that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the United States.” But Justice Douglas notes that in 1776, many states had religious tests. Pre-Constitution Religious Test The Pennsylvania Constitution required each legislator to …
My Country – Patricia Blau In 1950, the Supreme Court decided Blau v. United States , where Patricia Blau refused to answer grand jury questions concerning her employment by the communist party. At the time, Congress had made it a crime to advocate the desirability of the overthrow of the government. Mrs. Blau was convicted of …