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American Morning
Supreme Court Reviews Racketeering Laws Against Protests
Aired December 04, 2002 - 09:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Want to go ahead, Bill, and check in on the Supreme Court. It is reviewing a federal racketeering law, the law originally intended to combat corruption, to decide whether it can be used against anti-abortion protesters. That's one of the cases the high court is take up today.
Our national correspondent Bob Franken live with us from Washington, D.C.
Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
And of course, every time the abortion case in any form gets in the Supreme Court, people take note. But the abortion issue is only a backdrop. The issue is about protest and enforcement against protest and the use of the Racketeering Influence Corrupt Organizations Act, RICO, and the Hobbs Act, which is the federal act against extortion. The question really comes down to this: Is the use of an extortion act and the RICO Act, which supports that, is extortion something which is ideological? Is extortion for an ideological end -- and extortion being something causing problems for a business -- is that in fact prohibited under the law?
Those who argue for it say that there has been law-breaking in the anti-abortion movement for years. This is a case that dates back to the '80s. Operation Rescue is defendant. They are saying that the disruptions of violence against abortion clinics are racketeering because they are in fact knowing violations of the law. However, on the other side, are people who say that they need the right to demonstrate. And the sit-ins in the 1960s could have been covered under these laws if they stand the way they are.
So Operation Rescue and an unusual coalition of supporters are going back to the Supreme Court against the National Organization for Women and saying that the justices need to reconsider this and take off the table the use of the racketeering and extortion laws against civil protests. This is an issue that combines the anti-abortion movement with people from the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, organization like that, who are worried they too could come under RICO enforcement.
On the other side, NOW and organizations like that saying they have to be able to use the legislation any way they can to prevent violence against abortion clinics -- Daryn.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 4, 2002 - 09:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Want to go ahead, Bill, and check in on the Supreme Court. It is reviewing a federal racketeering law, the law originally intended to combat corruption, to decide whether it can be used against anti-abortion protesters. That's one of the cases the high court is take up today.
Our national correspondent Bob Franken live with us from Washington, D.C.
Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
And of course, every time the abortion case in any form gets in the Supreme Court, people take note. But the abortion issue is only a backdrop. The issue is about protest and enforcement against protest and the use of the Racketeering Influence Corrupt Organizations Act, RICO, and the Hobbs Act, which is the federal act against extortion. The question really comes down to this: Is the use of an extortion act and the RICO Act, which supports that, is extortion something which is ideological? Is extortion for an ideological end -- and extortion being something causing problems for a business -- is that in fact prohibited under the law?
Those who argue for it say that there has been law-breaking in the anti-abortion movement for years. This is a case that dates back to the '80s. Operation Rescue is defendant. They are saying that the disruptions of violence against abortion clinics are racketeering because they are in fact knowing violations of the law. However, on the other side, are people who say that they need the right to demonstrate. And the sit-ins in the 1960s could have been covered under these laws if they stand the way they are.
So Operation Rescue and an unusual coalition of supporters are going back to the Supreme Court against the National Organization for Women and saying that the justices need to reconsider this and take off the table the use of the racketeering and extortion laws against civil protests. This is an issue that combines the anti-abortion movement with people from the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, organization like that, who are worried they too could come under RICO enforcement.
On the other side, NOW and organizations like that saying they have to be able to use the legislation any way they can to prevent violence against abortion clinics -- Daryn.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
