Rewis v. United States

(Redirected from 401 U.S. 808)


Rewis v. United States
by Thurgood Marshall
Syllabus
942507Rewis v. United States — SyllabusThurgood Marshall
Court Documents

United States Supreme Court

401 U.S. 808

Rewis  v.  United States

 Argued: Jan. 19, 1971. --- Decided: April 5, 1971

Syllabus

Petitioners conducted a lottery operation in Florida, near the Georgia border. They were convicted along with two Georgia residents who placed bets at petitioners' establishment, of violating 18 U.S.C. § 1952, the Travel Act, which prohibits interstate travel with the intent to 'promote, manage, establish, carry on or facilitate' certain illegal activity. The District Court instructed the jury that if the Georgia bettors traveled to Florida for the purpose of gambling, they violated the Act, and that a defendant could be found guilty under the aiding and abetting statute, 18 U.S.C. § 2, without proof that he had personally performed every act constituting the charged offense. The Court of Appeals reversed the convictions of the Georgia bettors, holding that § 1952 did not make it a federal crime merely to cross a state line to place a bet, but upheld petitioners' convictions on the ground that gambling establishment operators are responsible for the interstate travel of their customers. Held: Conducting a gambling operation frequented by out-of-state bettors does not, without more, constitute a violation of the Travel Act. Pp. 811-814.

418 F.2d 1218, reversed.

Albert J. Datz, Jacksonville, Fla., for petitioners.

Sidney M. Glazer, Washington, D.C., for respondent.

Mr. Justice MARSHALL delivered the opinion of the Court.

Notes edit

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States federal government (see 17 U.S.C. 105).

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