Self-Incrimination

Archive Report

Self-Incrimination Plea in Investigations

Threat To Effectiveness of Congressional Inquiries

Means of overcoming a threat to effective exercise of the investigatory powers of Congress are expected to engage the attention of the nation's legislators early in the current session. A recent series of court decisions has demonstrated that a person's constitutional protection against being “compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself” is sufficient, if properly invoked, to afford relief from penalties for refusing to answer questions put by a congressional investigating committee.

Resort to the so-called privilege against self-incrimination has been common in grand jury proceedings, but its use by witnesses before congressional committees is something new. The House Committee on Un-American Activities for years has had trouble trying to persuade witnesses to ...

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