Treason laws in the United States

In the United States, there are both federal and state laws prohibiting treason.[1] Treason is defined on the federal level in Article III, Section 3 of the United States Constitution as "only in levying War against [the United States], or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort." Most state constitutions include similar definitions of treason, specifically limited to levying war against the state, "adhering to the enemies" of the state, or aiding the enemies of the state, and requiring two witnesses or a confession in open court.[2] Fewer than 30 people have ever been charged with treason under these laws.[3]

  1. ^ *18 U.S.C. § 2381
    *"State Laws - FindLaw". Findlaw. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  2. ^ Stimson, Frederic Jesup (1908). The Law of the Federal and State Constitutions of the United States: With an Historical Study of Their Principles, a Chronological Table of English Social Legislation, and a Comparative Digest of the Constitutions of the Forty-six States. Boston Book Company. p. 183. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  3. ^ Podger, Pamela J. (9 December 2001). "Few ever charged or convicted of treason in U.S. history / Many Americans fought for other religious, political, cultural beliefs". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 11 June 2017.