The wire-tapping evil.

• Author: La Follette, Robert, Jr.
• Position: 1928 - Brief article

July 1928

The five-to-four opinion of the Supreme Court last month ruling that federal courts may receive evidence secured by wire-tapping gives judicial encouragement to one of the most vicious methods of meddling with the privacy of individual citizens.

The laws of twenty-six states declare that it shall be a criminal offense to intercept a message sent by telephone or telegraph. An even larger number of states provide that telephone companies or their employees who disclose or assist in disclosing any message are guilty of a crime. The decision of the Court permits federal prohibition agents to take it upon themselves to commit crimes under the statutes of a majority of the states.

In his forceful and well-reasoned minority opinion, Justice Brandeis said: "Decency, security, and liberty alike demand that government officials shall be subjected to the same rules of conduct that are commands to the citizens."

We do not yet know the lengths to which this policy, if not repudiated at once, may...