The issue focused on the court's legal authority to try political crimes, and whether this law was constitutional.

A federal judge in Washington state had issued a stay of enforcement of the law for two months after Justice Department lawyers raised concerns that it would be used as a political tool. The Supreme Court held that the law could not be applied in this way.

In its brief, the ACLU said the First Amendment rights of civil rights groups are at stake. "This legislation has been described by many as an