CNN —The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with the former mayor of an Indiana city accused of accepting a bribe in exchange for a towing contract, the latest decision in which the high court has weakened federal anti-corruption laws.
James Snyder, the former mayor of Portage, Indiana, was convicted of accepting $13,000 from a trucking company weeks after it was awarded a contract.
The law at issue makes it a federal crime for local officials to “corruptly” take anything valued at over $5,000.
Part of the challenge of the case was setting a standard for how to define “corruptly.”In a series of recent decisions, the Supreme Court has adopted a narrow interpretations of federal anti-corruption laws.
Last year, the court tossed out fraud convictions in two cases involving former aides of then-New York Gov.
Persons:
James Snyder, Snyder, Brett Kavanaugh, Portage Mayor James Snyder, Kyle Telechan, “, Andrew Cuomo
Organizations:
CNN, Portage Mayor, Tribune, New York Gov
Locations:
Indiana, Portage , Indiana, Hammond , Indiana