K Irons, The Courage of their Convictions, Chapter 4 ″Lloyd Barenblatt v. United States pp 83-10 (Book Review Sample)

Lloyd Barenblatt V. United States
From this chapter, it is clear that Congress has the mandate of investigating matters that are of concern to the national security of the country. However, it is important to know where their jurisdiction end and start. Through this chapter, the author helps in the definition of the powers withered by Congress through the supreme court’s decisions made on the case of Barenblatt Vs. The United States.
In this instance, the house committee on UnAmerican activities had summoned Lloyd Barrenblatt, a lecturer at the University of Michigan and was suspected to be a member of the Haldane Communist Club at the university to give his stand and answer queries of his membership and association with the Haldane communist club. However, Barrenblatt read a prepared statement and chose not to answer the committee’s questions. Through his statement, Barrenblatt expostulated to the powers held by the house of the committee and purported that he is protected by the ninth, first and tenth amendments which barred him from answering questions on his political, religious and private affairs associations. This infuriated the committee who fined Lloyd and sentenced him to six months a ruling that he appealed to the second circuit court of appeals for Columbia district which upheld the decision of the Us District Court.