national dairy argued march decided february section act making crime sell goods unreasonably low prices purpose destroying competition eliminating competitor unconstitutionally vague indefinite applied sales made cost without legitimate commercial objective specific intent destroy competition pp reversed remanded trial daniel friedman reargued cause briefs solicitor general cox assistant attorney general loevinger lionel kestenbaum john chadwell reargued cause appellees briefs richard mclaren james rahl jean engstrom martin purcell john lashly justice clark delivered opinion case involves question whether act making crime sell goods unreasonably low prices purpose destroying competition eliminating competitor unconstitutionally vague indefinite applied sales made cost purpose national dairy raymond wise director upon charged inter alia violating making sales cost purpose destroying competition moved dismissal act counts indictment ground statute unconstitutionally vague indefinite district granted motion ordered dismissal direct appeal criminal appeals act noted probable jurisdiction importance issue administration act concluded order dismissal error therefore remand case trial national dairy engaged business purchasing processing distributing selling milk dairy products throughout processing plant kansas city missouri national dairy past several years competition national concerns various local dairies greater kansas city area surrounding areas kansas missouri greater kansas city market national dairy distributes products directly cities towns surrounding kansas missouri areas outside market served independent distributors purchase milk national dairy resell account indictment charged violations sherman act act kansas city six local markets adjacent area counts charged national dairy wise selling milk markets unreasonably low prices purpose destroying competition specifying acts complained indictment charged national dairy utilized advantages possesses reason fact operates great many different geographical localities order finance subsidize price war small dairies selling milk competition intentionally selling milk directly distributor prices national cost five markets national dairy pricing practice alleged resulted severe financial losses small dairies two others effect claimed eliminate competition drive small dairies market national dairy wise moved dismiss counts grounds statutory provision unreasonably low prices vague indefinite violate due process requirement fifth amendment indictment based provision violative sixth amendment adequately apprise charges district rendering oral opinion holding act unconstitutionally vague indefinite granted motion ordered dismissal counts case came direct appeal order dismissal ii national dairy wise urge tested solely face rather applied conduct charged indictment sales cost purpose destroying competition government hand places greater emphasis latter contending whether doubt validity statute possible applications plainly constitutional application conduct alleged indictment true statute attacked vague must initially examined face follow readily discernible dividing line always drawn statutes falling neatly one two categories valid invalid solely basis examination evaluate abstract delicate power pronouncing act congress unconstitutional exercised reference hypothetical cases limiting construction given statute responsible construction application doubtful constitutionality presented might add application rule frees unnecessary pronouncement constitutional issues also premature interpretations statutes areas constitutional application might cloudy raines void vagueness simply means criminal responsibility attach one reasonably understand contemplated conduct proscribed harriss determining sufficiency notice statute must necessity examined light conduct defendant charged robinson view principles must conclude act gave national dairy wise sufficient warning selling cost purpose destroying competition unlawful statute constitutional applied say indictment correct blunderbuss statute latter must sufficiently focused forewarn reach coverage therefore consider vagueness attack solely relation whether statute sufficiently warned national dairy wise selling cost predatory intent within prohibition unreasonably low prices iii history act indicates selling cost unless mitigated acceptable business exigency intended prohibited words unreasonably low prices sales cost without justifying business reason may come within proscriptions sherman act long established see standard oil clayton act enacted strengthen sherman act congress passed cover price discrimination large companies compete lowering prices oftentimes cost production intent destroy make unprofitable business competitors sess enactment act purpose strengthening clayton act provisions federal trade act aimed specific weapon monopolist predatory pricing moreover described representative utterback house manager joint conference committee attaching criminal penalties addition civil liabilities remedies already provided clayton act cong rec moore mead fine bread case based part recognized applicability act conduct quite similar national dairy wise charged said congress clayton act act barred use interstate business destroy local business programs profits made interstate activities underwrite losses local campaigns proscribing sales unreasonably low prices purpose destroying competition eliminating competitor believe congress condemned sales made cost purpose believe national dairy wise reasonably understand statutory language conduct described indictment proscribed act say however horse different bridle phrase cost vague indefinite expression business whether cost refers direct fully distributed cost level cost computation decided abstract nothing record point may well issue rendered academic showing national dairy sold cost levels therefore reach issue said automatic canteen federal trade since precision expression outstanding characteristic act exact formulation issue us necessary avoid inadvertent pronouncement statutory language one context language may require separate consideration settings finally think additional element predatory intent alleged indictment required act provides definition prohibited conduct believe notice specific held adequate screws requirement intent served relieve statute objection punishes without warning offense accused unaware see proscribed statute screws intentional achievement result willful deprivation certain rights act however prohibiting sales unreasonably low prices purpose destroying competition listed elements illegal conduct intent achieve result destruction competition also act selling unreasonably low prices done furtherance design purpose seems clear necessary specificity warning afforded separate though related statutory elements prohibited activity come focus one course conduct cohen grocery much reliance placed inapposite cohen act proscribed unjust unreasonable rate charge charge indictment exact language statute specifying conduct covered charge indictment nothing state price defendant alleged collected hence held specific definite act neither proscribed act alleged indictment moreover standard held vague cohen without meaningful referent business practice usage accepted fairly stable commercial standard regarded impliedly taken adopted statute small american sugar rfg view business practices unmistakably directed specificity violations charged indictment absent cohen proffered analogy case must rejected connection also note approach vagueness governing case like different followed cases arising first amendment concerned vagueness statute face vagueness may deter constitutionally protected socially desirable conduct see thornhill alabama naacp button factor present statute directed conduct designed destroy competition activity neither constitutionally protected socially desirable thus permitted consider warning provided terms statute face also light conduct applied reliance national dairy wise first amendment cases therefore misplaced iv opinion construed however holding every sale cost constitutes violation sales condemned made furtherance legitimate commercial objective liquidation excess obsolete perishable merchandise need meet lawful equally low price competitor cong rec see ben hur coal wells cir sales cost instances neither unreasonably low made predatory intent sales made cost without legitimate commercial objective specific intent destroy competition clearly fall within prohibitions since indictment charges latter conduct noted supra bound allegations indictment must conclude national dairy wise adequately forewarned illegal conduct charged remand case trial holding course foreclose proof merits reasonableness alleged pricing conduct matter absence predatory intent necessary conviction reversed remanded footnotes one count number charges raymond wise director national authorizing national pricing practice ordering effectuation kansas city market wise involves two sherman act counts indictment named wise defendant noted reviewing case motion dismiss granted required accept allegations indictment hypothesis decision boyce motor lines justice black justice stewart justice goldberg join dissenting statute involved makes crime sell goods unreasonably low prices purpose destroying competition eliminating competitor cohen grocery held unconstitutional void vagueness statute made crime person willfully make unjust unreasonable rate charge dealing necessaries rule established case often followed judgment sound control case accordingly affirm district judgment holding statute invalid attempts interpretation substitute unambiguous standards vague standard unreasonably low prices used congress statute seems criminal statute drastically reconstructed done congress us moreover agree attorney general national committee study antitrust laws concluded doubts besetting section constitutionality seem well founded gloss imparted history adjudication settled vague contours harsh criminal law cline frink dairy lanzetta new jersey cf cardiff atty nat comm antitrust recommending repeal