Espionage Act of 1917

E10089

The Espionage Act of 1917 is a U.S. federal law enacted during World War I that criminalizes interference with military operations, support for U.S. enemies, and certain forms of dissent, and has been widely used and debated in national security and free speech cases.

All labels observed (6)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (59)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal statute ⓘ
amendedBy Espionage Act of 1917 self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: Sedition Act of 1918
areaOfLaw constitutional law ⓘ
criminal law ⓘ
military law ⓘ
chamberInvolved United States House of Representatives ⓘ
United States Senate ⓘ
codifiedIn Title 18 of the United States Code ⓘ
controversy alleged conflict with First Amendment free speech protections ⓘ
use against journalists and publishers ⓘ
use against political dissenters ⓘ
country United States of America ⓘ
surface form: United States
dateEnacted 1917-06-15 ⓘ
enactedIn World War I ⓘ
hasBeenAmended true ⓘ
historicalUse prosecution of anti-war activists during World War I ⓘ
prosecution of leakers of classified information ⓘ
prosecution of whistleblowers ⓘ
inspiredBy concerns about disloyalty during World War I ⓘ
concerns about wartime sabotage ⓘ
jurisdiction United States government ⓘ
surface form: United States federal government
legalDoctrineInfluenced clear and present danger test ⓘ
maximumPenalty death in certain cases ⓘ
passedBy United States Congress ⓘ
penaltyIncludes fines ⓘ
imprisonment ⓘ
presidentAtEnactment Woodrow Wilson ⓘ
primaryCodificationSection 18 U.S.C. § 793 ⓘ
18 U.S.C. § 794 ⓘ
18 U.S.C. § 798 ⓘ
prohibits conveying false reports to interfere with the military ⓘ
interference with military operations ⓘ
interference with military recruitment ⓘ
support for U.S. enemies in wartime ⓘ
unauthorized communication of national defense information ⓘ
unauthorized retention of national defense information ⓘ
publicLawNumber 40-24 ⓘ
relatedLegislation Sedition Act of 1918 ⓘ
Smith Act ⓘ
USA PATRIOT Act ⓘ
sectionFocus Section 3 on interference with the draft ⓘ
signedBy Woodrow Wilson ⓘ
statutesAtLargeCitation 40 Stat. 217 ⓘ
stillInForce true ⓘ
subjectMatter classified information ⓘ
espionage ⓘ
military operations ⓘ
national security ⓘ
wartime censorship ⓘ
usedInCase Abrams v. United States ⓘ
Debs v. United States ⓘ
Frohwerk v. United States ⓘ
New York Times Co. v. United States ⓘ
Schenck v. United States ⓘ
United States v. Chelsea Manning ⓘ
United States v. Daniel Ellsberg ⓘ
United States v. Edward Snowden ⓘ
United States v. Julian Assange ⓘ
yearIntroduced 1917 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (29)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Lever Food and Fuel Control Act of 1917 → relatedTo → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
Lever Act → relatedTo → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
Lever Act → relatedTo → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
this entity surface form: Sedition Act of 1918
Espionage Act of 1917 → amendedBy → Espionage Act of 1917 self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: Sedition Act of 1918
Edward Snowden → chargedUnder → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
Woodrow Wilson administration → notablePolicy → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
Schenck v. United States → statuteInvolved → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
Frohwerk v. United States → statuteInterpreted → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
Smith Act → relatedTo → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
Abrams v. United States → legalIssue → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
Abrams v. United States → statuteApplied → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
United States v. Edward Snowden → legalBasis → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
Sedition Act of 1918 → partOf → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
this entity surface form: United States Espionage and Sedition Acts
Sedition Act of 1918 → amends → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
Sedition Act of 1918 → relatedTo → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
Debs v. United States → legalSubject → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
Debs v. United States → relatedLegislation → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
United States v. Julian Assange → legalBasis → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
United States national security law → keyStatute → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
Charles T. Schenck → chargedUnder → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
First Red Scare → legalBasis → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
Frohwerk → legalIssue → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
Frohwerk → chargedUnder → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
this entity surface form: Espionage Act
The First Amendment did not bar prosecution of the defendant's antiwar publications under the circumstances of the case. → basedOn → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
subject surface form: The First Amendment did not bar prosecution of the defendant's antiwar publications under the circumstances of the case
this entity surface form: Espionage Act of 1917 prosecutions
65th United States Congress → enacted → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
Act of Congress of December 13, 1920 → relatedTo → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
Mollie Steimer → legalBasisForProsecution → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg → prosecutedUnder → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
subject surface form: Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Rosenberg
Samuel Lipman → convictedUnder → Espionage Act of 1917 ⓘ
this entity surface form: Espionage Act of 1917 as amended by the Sedition Act of 1918