Watkins v. United States

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Watkins v. United States

Argued March 7, 1957
Decided June 17, 1957

Full case name:	John Watkins v. United States

Citations:	354 U.S. 178; 77 S. Ct. 1173; 1 L. Ed. 2d 1273; 1957 U.S. LEXIS 1558; 76 Ohio L. Abs. 225

Prior history:	Cert. to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

Holding

Watkins was convicted unconstitutionally, as he was not allowed fair process to determine whether he could not answer questions posed as a witness, by a committee.

Court membership

Chief Justice: Earl Warren
Associate Justices: Hugo Black, Felix Frankfurter, William O. Douglas, Harold Hitz Burton, Tom C. Clark, John Marshall Harlan II, William J. Brennan, Jr., Charles Evans Whittaker

Case opinions

Majority by: Warren
Joined by: Black, Frankfurter, Douglas, Harlan, Brennan
Dissent by: Clark
Burton and Whittaker took no part in the consideration or decision of the case.

Watkins v. United States, 354 U.S. 178 (1957), was brought forward after John Watkins was convicted under 2 U.S.C. 192, for failing to answer questions while posed as a witness relating to people he may have known to be communist. Under a committee of the House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities, Watkins stated he did not wish to answer these questions, as they were outside of the scope he had been called upon, and of the committee.

2 U.S.C. 192 states it is an offense for a witness to refuse to answer question "pertinent to the question under inquiry." Watkins claimed he had not been given sufficient time to ascertain whether he could refuse questions or not; thus branding his conviction unlawful. As a result of the appeal, a panel decided 6-1 to overturn Watkins' conviction. Chief Justice Earl Warren supported Watkins' views, saying that the power of the United States Congress is not unlimited in conducting investigations, and that there was no authority given to expose individuals' private affairs.