Today in Supreme Court History: September 17, 1787

9/17/1787: The Constitution is signed.

The Constitution

Happy Constitution Day!

Comments

[Cal Cetín]

It had a good run.

[Dan Schiavetta]

Mikutaitis v. United States, 478 U.S. 1306 (decided September 17, 1986): Stevens grants stay of contempt order of witness who refused to testify in denaturalization proceeding against Nazi collaborator despite being given immunity; witness had also collaborated but had also aided Lithuanians trying to break away from the Soviet Union (our ally at the time), and argued that sealing of testimony would not protect him because he himself was in danger of being deported to the Soviet Union where he would be convicted of treason and executed; Stevens notes that whether sealing is adequate to protect witness is an open question that is subject to another pending cert application (though cert in both cases was denied the next month) (did Stevens really think the Soviets, no sticklers as to rules of evidence, would have to see the transcript? all they had to do to convict him of treason would be to read Stevens's discussion of the facts) (unknown what happened to Mikutaitis)