Evening star., 1952-10-05
High Court 10 Weigh
Race, Spy, Politics
And Labor Issues
By Robert K. Welsh

A1Ou44C Opy OcdIu ScutGuCCS,
congressional political funds,
school segregation, labor "feath-
erbedding," the tax on gamblers
and the lobby registration law are
outstanding issues for the Su-
preme Court term beginning to-
morrow.
Opening-day ceremonies will
take only a few minutes. But,
with more than $50 new cases
flled during the summer, the JUS
tices may announce scores Of
petitions denied or accepted for
review. The Court started out
last October with 285 such orders.
Chief among As cases the Court
already has agreed to hear are
those attacking racial segregation
in public schools in South Caro-
lima and Topeka, Kans. They
could produce the most far-reach-
ing decisions Of the term. They
seek a clear-cut ruling on con-
stitutionality Of racial segrega-
ton, as such, and validity of the
So-called separate but equal"
doctrine.
Cases Here Pending.
Cases testing racial segregation
in the District pend in the lower
courts here. There is only a re-
mote possibility that any of them
will reach the Supreme Court be-
fore the term ends next June.
The roll Of cases already await
ing Supreme Court disposal has
the usual vast variety and COM
plexity. None yet matches the
steel industry seizure, but radio
broadcasts. religious education re-
leased-time program, and several
other major controversies decided
during the last term.
The tribunal. nevertheless, seems
likely to make plenty of news
and LAWN acting on major dis
putes already on file and on sew
eral others headed for the high
court.
Among the latter are the ap-
peals Of Harry Bridges. West
Coast longshoremens' leader, from
q perjury conviction, and Of five
District and Maryland Commu-
nists and q party lawyer convicted
Of conspiracy to overthrow the
Government by force.
Espionage Case.
The espionage case has attracted
unusual interest because 1t in
wolves q death sentence imposed
on Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for
having given atomic secrets to
Russia. The couple are the first
Americans ever to receive such q
spy sentence outside Of q military
court. Their conviction has been
upheld by the United States Court
of Appeals in New York and In
wolves constitutionality Of the Es-
pionage Act.
Contributions to CongreSsmen
figure In the case Of Representa-
tive Walter E. Brehm. Ohio Re-
publican. He was convicted here
on charges of unlawfully taking
campaign contributions from q
clerk in his congressional office.
He contends that the Government
failed to prove the contributions
were for political purposes.
Congressional enactments to
regulate lobbying and to tax gam
blers are before the court for the
first time for direct constitutional
tests. The immediate cases. how
ever, deal with specific sections Of
these laws.
Gambling Tax Issue.
In one instance the Government
wants the Supreme Court to re-
verse a lower court ruling that the
$50 stamp tax on gamblers is un-
constitutional because it IL a po-
lice measure in the guise Of q tax
law.
In the other case, originated by
the National Association Of Manu-
facturers. the Government asks
the Supreme Court to overturn a
special three-judge court decision
here. Those judges struck down
a lobby law provision requiring all
persons. except political commit
tees, who lobby legislation before
Congress to keep accounts and hle
statements.
So called "featherbedding"
practices attributed to some labor
unions are at issue in one case
and to some extent in litigation
involving the American Newspaper
Publishers Association, the AFL
International Typographical Union
and the National Labor Relations
Board.
The latter case was tied in with
a 22-month newspaper strike in