Law Commons^™

Current Rico Policies Of The Department Of Justice, Edward S.G. Dennis, Jr.

Vanderbilt Law Review

In H.J. Inc. v. Northwestern Bell Telephone Co. the United States Supreme Court issued its latest opinion interpreting the reach of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).' The H.J. Inc. decision comes at a time when the RICO statute is at the center of controversy. Those opposed to private treble damages suits particularly attack the statute. The defense bar attacks the use of the statute in white-collar prosecutions, especially in those cases involving securities fraud. If the defense bar has its way in Congress, RICO could not be invoked in cases involving fraud alone. The criminal defense bar …