Bond v. United States

Bond (defendant), a microbiologist, learned that Haynes was pregnant by Bond's husband. Using arsenic and potassium dichromate she could obtain, Bond repeatedly spread the chemicals on Haynes's car, mailbox, and doorknob over more than a year; Haynes avoided serious harm, and Bond was caught on camera. She was charged under the Chemical Weapons Implementation Act (18 U.S.C. section 229), which implemented the Chemical Weapons Convention. Bond argued section 229 exceeded Congress's power and intruded on the states under the Tenth Amendment; she entered a conditional guilty plea. After procedural detours, the Supreme Court granted certiorari on the statute's application.

Whether a federal statute will be interpreted to reach local criminal conduct traditionally handled by the states absent a clear statement of congressional intent.