cohen grocery argued decided february mr solicitor general frierson chester krum louis defendant error chief justice white delivered opinion required direct appeal decide whether congress constitution authority adopt section lever act reproduce section far relevant act tit stat hereby made unlawful person willfully make unjust unreasonable rate charge handling dealing necessaries conspire combine agree arrange person exact excessive prices necessaries person violating provisions section upon conviction thereof shall fined exceeding imprisoned two years text thus reproduced followed two provisos exempting operation either section act enumerated persons classes persons engaged agricultural similar pursuits comparing section original text act stat comp comp ann supp ff seen changes made enactment insertion penalty clause enlargement enumerated exemptions two counts defendant cohen grocery company alleged dealer sugar necessaries city louis charged violating section willfully feloniously making unjust unreasonable rate charge handling dealing certain necessary specification first count sale pounds sugar second bag sugar defendant demurred following grounds counts vague inform nature cause accusation statute upon indictment based subject infirmity indefinite enable known forbidden therefore amounted delegation congress legislative power courts juries determine acts held criminal punishable country virtually peace congress power regulate subject section dealt passing demurrer declaring settled official declaration peace status war nevertheless decided conclusion wholly negligible issues raised demurrer since equally well settled mere status war force suspend limit effect constitution caused limitations constitution made applicable necessary appropriate result status war become operative holding latter result case particular provisions fifth sixth amendments consideration prohibitions amendments imposed upon congress delegating legislative power courts juries penalizing indefinite acts depriving citizen right informed nature cause accusation giving effect amendments question came consider grounds demurrer relating subjects referring opinion previously expressed charging jury said alone power define crimes power delegated either courts juries country law vague indefinite uncertain fixes immutable standard guilt leaves standard variant views different courts juries may called enforce inform defendant nature cause accusation think constitutionally invalid demurrer offered defendant sustained indictment therefore quashed cases submitted time one us involving identical questions issue contended section embrace matters charged come therefore motion case dispose subject since well founded contention render consideration constitutional questions unnecessary basis upon contention rests words section embrace price commodity sold rate receipt price thereby intended penalized opinion however propositions without merit first words section broad enough embrace price commodity sold second amended section plainly imposes penalty acts includes committed passage fact section contained penalty moment must case unless said failure one time impose penalty forbidden act furnishes adequate ground preventing subsequent enforcement penalty specifically unmistakably provided opinion clearly right ruling decisions indisputably establish mere existence state war suspend change operation upon power congress guaranties limitations fifth sixth amendments questions passing upon ex parte milligan wall monongahela navigation sup joint traffic association sup mccray sup ann cas cress hamilton kentucky distilleries company sup follows testing operation constitution upon subject involved question existence nonexistence state war becomes negligible put view sole remaining inquiry therefore certainty uncertainty text question whether words hereby made unlawful person willfully make unjust unreasonable rate charge handling dealing necessaries constituted fixing congress ascertainable standard guilt adequate inform persons accused violation thereof nature cause accusation opinion clearly results mere statement render elaboration subject wholly unnecessary observe section forbids specific definite act confines matter investigation authorizes element essentially inhering transaction provides leaves open therefore widest conceivable inquiry scope one foresee result one foreshadow adequately guard fact see reason doubt soundness observation opinion effect attempt enforce section exact equivalent effort carry statute terms merely penalized punished acts detrimental public interest unjust unreasonable estimation jury mere abstraction finds abundant demonstration cases us since briefs cases conflicting results arisen painstaking attempts enlightended judges seeking carry statute cases brought vividly portrayed illustrative situation append margin statement one briefs subject condition additionally obvious stopped recur persistent efforts records disclose made administrative officers doubtless inspired zealous effort discharge duty establish standard used basis render section possible execution results consideration stated section us void repugnancy constitution open question reese brewer sup todd sup see sharp fed cas chicago northwestern dey fed tozer fed capital traction app ann cas pennsylvania sup decided cases referred insisted sustain contrary view oil texas sup nash sup fox state washington sup miller strahl sup omaechevarria idaho sup need stop review however first inappositeness necessarily demonstrated observed contention effect true result view text statute standard whatever required information nature cause accusation essential competent delegate legislative power teeth settled significance fifth sixth amendments plainly applicable provisions constitution second cases relied upon rested upon conclusion reasons found result either text statutes involved subjects dealt standard sort afforded indeed distinction cases relied upon establishing general principle referred apply uphold matter reason authority clearly pointed decided cases deem necessary cite international harvester kentucky sup collins kentucky sup american seeding machine kentucky sup see pennsylvania sup follows said forgetful duty sustain constitutionality statute ground possibly found nevertheless compelled case say think clearly right holding statute void repugnancy constitution judgment quashing indictment ground must hereby affirmed affirmed justice pitney justice brandeis concur result justice day took part consideration decision case justice pitney concurring concur judgment reasoning upon rested defendant indicted upon two counts alike form charging case willfully feloniously make unjust unreasonable rate charge handling dealing certain necessary wit sugar demanded exacted collected excessive prices specified quantities sugar purchased violation lever act act tit stat amending section act stat convinced exacting excessive prices upon sale merchandise within meaning provision act cited denouncing act make criminal offense reason demurrer indictment properly sustained whether provision conflict fifth sixth amendment question necessarily raised passed upon order appreciate point necessary quote entire much section defines crimes thereby denounced reads follows hereby made unlawful person willfully destroy necessaries purpose enhancing price restricting supply thereof knowingly commit waste willfully permit preventable deterioration necessaries connection production manufacture distribution hoard defined section act necessaries monopolize attempt monopolize either locally generally necessaries engage discriminatory unfair deceptive wasteful practice device make unjust unreasonable rate charge handling dealing necessaries conspire combine agree arrange person limit facilities transporting producing harvesting manufacturing supplying storing dealing necessaries restrict supply necessaries restrict distribution necessaries prevent limit lessen manufacture production necessaries order enhance price thereof exact excessive prices necessaries aid abet act made unlawful section person violating provisions section upon conviction thereof shall fined exceeding imprisoned two years provided etc definition section refers section original act stat comp comp ann supp gg declares necessaries shall deemed hoarded within meaning act inter alia whether possession contract arrangement market person purpose unreasonably increasing diminishing price holds words make unjust unreasonable rate charge handling dealing necessaries broad enough embrace exaction excessive price upon sale merchandise congress employ unskillful ambiguous phrase purpose easy express supposed purpose briefer lucid words difficult understand words taken alone without reference context might possible stretch meaning include exaction excessive price statute defining criminal offense seems inconsistent established rules construing penal statutes violate rule statute construed bring conflict constitution unless construction imperatively required plain words construction adopted thus required make rate charge handling dealing merchandise imports fixing compensation services rather price goods sold may refer charges buying selling hauling handling storage like clause question stand alone forms part section question prices dealt four times initial prohibition destroying necessaries purpose enhancing price second time prohibition hoarding defined including withholding market purpose unreasonably increasing diminishing price third time prohibition conspiracy limit production necessaries order enhance price finally prohibition conspiracy exact excessive prices necessaries seems clear upon plainest principles construction change phrase must deemed import difference purpose make unjust unreasonable rate charge handling dealing necessaries must taken mean something else exaction excessive price observed closely coupled cognate offense engage discriminatory unfair deceptive wasteful practice device make unjust unreasonable rate charge handling dealing necessaries evidently words handling dealing qualify practice device well unreasonable rate charge altogether evident intended included within unreasonable rate charge handling dealing necessaries may conceded much reason extending words construction make criminal clearly within meaning giving meaning brings act conflict constitution expanding unconstitutional reach act supposing even without particular application made quoted words repugnant fundamental law mind plain section intended control individual dealer respect prices might exact beyond prohibiting destroying necessaries purpose enhancing price withholding market like purpose long acts alone left uncontrolled except ordinary processes competition sense fairness interest conspiracy others exact excessive prices entirely different matter clearly prohibited bring another point section naturally divides itselt two parts first portion denounces number substantive offenses second portion denounces conspiracy commit one number offenses terms include offenses specifically prohibited earlier portion seems significant section thecriminal code act march stat comp st makes criminal two persons conspire commit offense one act effect object conspiracy hence necessary congress declare lever act conspiracy commit offenses defined first part section punishable criminally proceeded latter part declare conspiracy one certain acts criminal seems plain argument circumstances inclusion part section certain acts forming object criminal conspiracy amounts legislative declaration absence conspiracy acts intended punished criminally one exact excessive prices necessaries still sections original act stat comp comp ann supp kk specifically deal question official certain articles prime coal furnish additional evidence framing act congress mind regulation employed simple term refer prices provision section upon indictment case rests reasons regard unnecessary pass upon question whether provision conflict constitution justice brandeis concurs opinion footnotes sup leonard district judge howe northern district new york held determining whether price unreasonable jury take consideration prices defendants paid goods bought ordinary course trade paying market price time length time defendants carried stock expense carrying business fair reasonable profit goods facts circumstances transaction much market price advanced time goods purchased time sold oglesby grocery fed district judge sibley northern district georgia said words used congress reference course business fairly indicate usual established scale charges prices peace times basis coupled flexibility view changing conditions statute may construed forbid time war departure usual established scale charges prices time peace justified special circumstance commodity dealer judge mccall western district tennessee charge grand jury stated shoe dealer bought two orders exactly kind shoes different times different prices first lot per pair second lot price gone per pair sells lots shoes profiteering clearly upon first lot cost upon theory sells shoes goes market buys pay higher price excuse entitled make reasonable profit certainly right take advantage former low purchase take profit gets shoes myatt fed district judge connor eastern district north carolina said observed statute declare unlawful make unjust unreasonable profit upon sugar profit made test may entirely irrelevant guilt defendant may within language statute make unreasonable therefore unlawful charge without making profit rate charge made may involve loss upon purchasing price district judge hand northern district new york charge grand jury said particular profits individual makes basis unreasonable charge whether charge gives unreasonable established generally trade law mean say people shall charge profit particularly skillful merchant manufacturer make profits greater run people business allowed make profits much allowed charging reasonable price taking industry whole allowed keep profit items sustaining loss goldberg district judge bledsoe southern district california charged jury passing question reasonableness prices sugar jury take considerations among circumstances following find market price community generally respect profit normally made upon sugar sold either manufacturers jobbers retailers culbertson district judge rudkin eastern district washington trial defendant july charged jury among things matter law defendant entitled sell goods basis actual market value time place sale expense handling goods reasonable profit original cost price became immaterial except threw light upon market value