Frohwerk v. United States
Supreme Court
249 U.S. 204 (1919)
Relevant factsFree
Jacob Frohwerk (defendant) wrote a series of newspaper articles for a Missouri publication denouncing U.S. involvement in World War I, praising Germany's strength, and blaming the war on capitalism and corporate greed; he was indicted and convicted on twelve counts of violating the Espionage Act's ban on willfully causing insubordination or refusal of military duty during wartime, and challenged his conviction as violating his First Amendment rights.
IssueFree
Whether wartime speech criticizing U.S. military involvement, which would ordinarily be protected in peacetime, may be constitutionally punished under the Espionage Act.