extortion
Definitions from Case Law · United States Supreme Court
Definitions from Case Law
From 393 U.S. 286 - United States v. Nardello · 1969Most cited · 518 citing opinions
common law
At common law a public official who under color of office obtained the property of another not due either to the office or the official was guilty of extortion.
How the Supreme Court has restated “extortion”
Each Supreme Court definition of “extortion,” sized by how often later courts cited it. “Change” is measured by wording overlap with earlier definitions — a rough signal, not a semantic judgment.
How often courts cite the cases defining “extortion”
Court decisions citing the 2 opinions that defined “extortion” — 817 in all, by decade. Counts are citations to the defining cases as a whole, not verified uses of the term. The dip in the most recent years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the latest years.
All 3 definitions, chronological · 1956–1969
- ORIGINAL
The term 'extortion' means the obtaining of property from another, with his consent, induced by wrongful use of actual or threatened force, violence, or fear, or under color of official right. Extortion as defined in the statute in no way depends upon having a direct benefit conferred on the person who obtains the property.
Congress intended that extortion should refer to those acts prohibited by state law which would be generically classified as extortionate, i.e., obtaining something of value from another with his consent induced by the wrongful use of force, fear, or threats.
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