Smith Act of 1940
Legislation
By: Howard W. Smith
Date: 1940
Source: 18 U.S. Code ยง 2385 (2000) Advocating Over-throw of Government.
About the Author: The Alien Registration Act of 1940, usually called the Smith Act after its author, Representative Howard W. Smith of Virginia, is the chief federal sedition law. The legislation makes it unlawful to conspire to advocate the violent overthrow of the government and to organize a group to do so. Smith, a conservative Democrat from Virginia, spent most of his political career opposing foreign radicals, labor unions, civil rights for African Americans, and most domestic spending. After heading the powerful House Rules Committee, Smith lost a reelection bid in 1966. He died in 1976.
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