Brief filed: 11/13/2024
Documents
Thompson v. United States
United States Supreme Court; Case No. 23-1095
Prior Decision
Decision below United States v. Thompson, 62 F.4th 919 (7th Cir. 2023)
Argument(s)
NACDL argues that the government’s expansive interpretation of 18 U.S.C. § 1014—allowing prosecution of literally true but allegedly misleading statements—violates due process by denying fair notice and invites arbitrary enforcement. The brief urges the Court to reject interpretations that disregard statutory text and congressional intent, particularly when dozens of other statutes criminalize “misleading” statements explicitly. The government’s approach erodes the right to jury trial by enhancing prosecutors’ coercive leverage in plea bargaining, exacerbating the trial penalty and incentivizing guilty pleas from innocent defendants. NACDL contends that such overbroad interpretations chill legitimate conduct and undermine democratic values embedded in jury service.
Author(s)
Steven F. Molo, Eugene A. Sokoloff, and Kenneth E. Notter III, MoloLamken LLP, Chicago, IL; Jeffrey T. Green, Green Law Chartered LLC, Bethesda, MD.
