Home > Great American Court Cases > Kilbourn v. Thompson

Legal Citation: 103 U.S. 168 (1881)

Plaintiff
Hallett Kilbourn

Defendant
John G. Thompson, Michael C. Kerr, John M. Glover, Jeptha D. New, Burwell P. Lewis, A. Herr Smith

Plaintiff's Claim
Kilbourn objected to the fact that he had been called before a committee of Congress, and, refusing to answer questions, had been jailed for contempt of Congress. He brought suit against Thompson, the sergeant-at-arms, as well as against the five members of the congressional committee that had called him.

Chief Lawyers for Plaintiff
Charles A. Eldredge, Enoch Totten, Noah L. Jeffries

Chief Defense Lawyers
Walter H. Smith, Frank H. Hurd

Justices for the Court
Salmon Portland Chase, Nathan Clifford, Stephen Johnson Field, John Marshall Harlan I, Ward Hunt, Stanley Matthews, Samuel Freeman Miller (writing for the Court), Morrison Remick...