Louis Hartman v. United States

Appellant appeals from a judgment of conviction on all counts of a seven-count indictment charging him for having unlawfully refused to answer seven questions pertinent to a matter under inquiry before a Subcommittee of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, in violation of Title 2 U.S.C.A. § 192 . The case was tried before a district judge, a jury trial having been expressly waived by the appellant. Appellant was sentenced to six months imprisonment on each count, the sentences to run concurrently, and to pay a fine of $100 on the first count.

On June 4, 1957, appellant was subpoenaed to appear at hearings to be conducted by a subcommittee of the Committee on Un-American Activities of the House of Representatives, scheduled to begin on June 18,1957, in San Francisco, California. Appellant appeared on June 18, 1957, and remained in attendance at the hearing all that day. He was called to testify on the following day. Appellant answered questions concerning his background, giving his name; place and date of birth; that he resided at Berkeley, California, and had been a resident thereof for approximately 12 years; that his occupation was a radio broadcaster; and giving his…