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Cite as:  603 U. S. ____ (2024) 

1 

Opinion of the Court 

NOTICE: This opinion is subject to formal revision before publication in the 
United  States  Reports.  Readers  are  requested  to  notify  the  Reporter  of 
Decisions,  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  Washington,  D. C.  20543, 
pio@supremecourt.gov, of any typographical or other formal errors. 

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES 

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No. 23–108 
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JAMES E. SNYDER, PETITIONER v. UNITED STATES 

ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF 
APPEALS FOR THE SEVENTH CIRCUIT 

[June 26, 2024] 

JUSTICE KAVANAUGH delivered the opinion of the Court. 
Section 666 of Title 18 makes it a crime for state and local 
officials  to  “corruptly”  solicit,  accept,  or  agree  to  accept
“anything  of  value  from  any  person,  intending  to  be
influenced  or  rewarded”  for  an  official  act.    §666(a)(1)(B).
That law prohibits state and local officials from accepting 
bribes  that  are  promised  or  given  before  the  official  act. 
Those  bribes  are  punishable  by  up  to  10  years’
imprisonment.

The question in this case is whether §666 also makes it a
crime  for  state  and  local  officials  to  accept  gratuities—for 
example, gift cards, lunches, plaques, books, framed photos,
or  the  like—that  may  be  given  as  a  token  of  appreciation
after  the  official  act.    The  answer  is  no.  State  and  local 
governments  often  regulate  the  gifts  that  state  and  local
officials may accept.  Section 666 does not supplement those 
state and local rules by subjecting 19 million state and local 
officials  to  up  to  10  years  in  federal  prison  for  accepting
even  commonplace  gratuities.  Rather,  §666  leaves  it  to
state and local governments to regulate gratuities to state
and local officials.