Court Opinion

ID: 9419802
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-02 22:51:32.845451+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:22:20.662278
License: Public Domain

Mr. Justice Douglas,
concurring.
If a retailer sold meat or any other commodity to a consumer only on condition that he purchase and pay for a wholly worthless article, it would be clear that price ceilings had been violated. For the attribution of value to the worthless article would be nothing more than an evasive method of increasing the ceiling price on the other commodity. I can see no difference where the additional commodity, although it has value, has no value to the purchaser.
But this case is different in both respects or so the jury might find. First, chicken gizzards, chicken skin, or chicken feet are not wholly worthless articles. There is demand for them and they have a value. Second, they were tied-in with sales to retailers who constitute the market for chicken gizzards, chicken skin, and chicken feet. If in fact they had no value on that market, evasion of price ceilings would be established. But since they apparently had some value on the retail market, no violation of price ceilings occurred unless the price charged for them in fact exceeded that market value. That might *628be shown either by proof of the fact that the market value was lower or by showing that the quantity forced on the retailers was in excess of the quantity which the market could absorb.
The case should be remanded for a new trial on that basis. For the trial court ruled that the additional articles sold were valueless and that the “one question in the case is whether the sale of the chicken skin and feet was a necessary condition to the purchase of the other.” That ruling took from the jury the basic issue in the case.
I think there was evidence that these chicken gizzards, chicken skin, and chicken feet were valueless to some of the retailers and that a conviction would be warranted. But it is not enough that we conclude on the whole record that a defendant is guilty. Bollenbach v. United States, 326 U. S. 607. The jury under our constitutional system is the tribunal selected for the ascertainment of guilt.