{"ID":62658,"name":"McDonnell v. United States","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/cases\/2015\/15-474","view_count":0,"docket_number":"15-474","additional_docket_numbers":null,"manner_of_jurisdiction":"Writ of \u003Ci\u003Ecertiorari\u003C\/i\u003E","first_party":"Robert F. McDonnell","second_party":"United States","timeline":[{"event":"Granted","dates":[1452837600],"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_timeline\/case_timeline\/53404"},{"event":"Argued","dates":[1461733200],"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_timeline\/case_timeline\/53439"},{"event":"Decided","dates":[1467003600],"href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_timeline\/case_timeline\/53826"}],"lower_court":{"ID":9,"name":"United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/taxonomy\/term\/9"},"facts_of_the_case":"\u003Cp\u003EOn November 3, 2009, Robert F. McDonnell was elected Governor of Virginia. At the time of his election, he and his family were experiencing economic difficulties; by September 2010, he and his wife had a combined credit card balance of $90,000, and by 2012 the business he and his sister operated had a loan balance of $2.5 million. Shortly after his election, McDonnell met with Jonnie Williams, the founder and CEO of Star Scientific, Inc. (Star), which was trying to market a product called Anatabloc that could be used to treat chronic inflammation. Star wanted the Food and Drug Administration to classify Anatabloc as a pharmaceutical, which would be more profitable than the alternative classification of nutraceutical. However, such a classification would require expensive testing, clinical trials and studies, and Star lacked the funds. Between 2009 and 2012, Williams and McDonnell met several times and agreed that \u201cindependent testing [of Anatabloc] in Virginia was a good idea.\u201d Williams also provided expensive gifts to the McDonnells and \u201cwas willing to help\u201d with their financial troubles. A launch event for Anatabloc was held at the Governor\u2019s Mansion, and Mrs. McDonnell facilitated meetings between Star officials and officials at the University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University to get the studies started. Mrs. McDonnell also purchased, sold, and gifted Star stock in such as way as to avoid reporting requirements, and McDonnell spoke to various government officials about the benefits of Anatabloc.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe McDonnells were eventually arrested and charged for corruption, under federal statutes that make it a felony to take \u201cofficial action\u201d in exchange for money, campaign contributions, or any other thing of value. On September 4, 2014, McDonnell was found guilty on 11 counts of corruption. McDonnell appealed his conviction and argued that the jury instructions given at trial did not properly define the term \u201cofficial action.\u201d The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed his conviction and held that the jury instructions in question were adequate.\u003C\/p\u003E\n","question":"\u003Cp\u003EFor the purpose of federal bribery statutes, is an \u201cofficial action\u201d limited to the exercise or threatened exercise of actual governmental power, and if the term is not limited in this manner, are the statutes unconstitutional?\u003C\/p\u003E\n","conclusion":"\u003Cp\u003EAn \u201cofficial act\u201d is a decision or action on a question, matter, cause, suit, proceeding, or controversy that involves a specific exercise of formal governmental power. Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. delivered the opinion for the unanimous Court. The Court held that arranging a meeting, contacting another official, or hosting an event -- on its own -- is not sufficient to rise to the level of an \u201cofficial act\u201d for the purpose of federal bribery statutes. This more limited reading of the statutory text gives each word a meaning that is proper in context and not superfluous, which is the best reading of the statute. Additionally, previous Supreme Court precedent has established that the existence of matters pending before a government official was not sufficient to find that any action related to those matters constituted an \u201cofficial act.\u201d Adopting a broader reading of the statutory language would likely chill public officials\u2019 interactions with their constituents due to fears of prosecution and therefore make it more difficult for them to do their jobs. Based on this interpretation of the statutory language, the jury instructions at issue were impermissibly broad and did not provide enough guidance to the jury regarding whether the actions in question needed to be formal exercises of governmental power. Therefore, the conviction was vacated.\u003C\/p\u003E\n","advocates":[{"advocate":{"ID":37093,"name":"Noel J. Francisco","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/people\/noel_j_francisco","view_count":0,"last_name":"Francisco","roles":null,"thumbnail":null,"length_of_service":0,"identifier":"noel_j_francisco"},"advocate_description":"for the petitioners","href":"https:\/\/api.oyez.org\/case_advocate\/case_advocate\/21709"},{"advocate":{"ID":35719,"name":"Michael R. 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