October Term 2019 · Docket 19-177
Does the anti-prostitution policy apply to foreign affiliates without formal corporate ties?
The dispute centers on whether a U.S. law requires foreign affiliates to adopt an anti-prostitution policy when they lack formal corporate ties to the domestic recipient.
Verified source milestones
- — An official oral-argument transcript was verified.
- — An official oral-argument transcript was verified.
The arguments, in order
This case may have been argued more than once. Each entry below uses that session's official transcript. Later arguments do not erase earlier ones.
Argument 1 ·
What happened at the argument
The government contends the Leadership Act targets the HIV/AIDS pandemic. It asserts the policy applies to entities sharing a name and logo with the domestic recipient.
The nonprofit argues the record shows its foreign affiliates suffer First Amendment harms. It claims the policy forces them to adopt a specific viewpoint.
questions_asked_by_justices
Read the official transcript for this argument · Official argument details
Sources used for this argument breakdown
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 18-38 — Transcript, file page 11, lines 18-38
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 50-52 — Transcript, file page 12, lines 50-52
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 54-24 — Transcript, file page 12, lines 54-24
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 14, lines 10-28 — Transcript, file page 14, lines 10-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 14, lines 34-42 — Transcript, file page 14, lines 34-42
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 33, lines 30-32 — Transcript, file page 33, lines 30-32
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 10-26 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 10-26
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 28-24 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 28-24
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 26-44 — Transcript, file page 6, lines 26-44
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 62, lines 34-30 — Transcript, file page 62, lines 34-30
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 65, lines 32-34 — Transcript, file page 65, lines 32-34
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 32-32 — Transcript, file page 7, lines 32-32
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 36-54 — Transcript, file page 7, lines 36-54
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 52-14 — Transcript, file page 8, lines 52-14
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 46-50 — Transcript, file page 9, lines 46-50
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 52-8 — Transcript, file page 9, lines 52-8
A citizen's guide to the whole case
What this case is about
The case involves a conflict over the scope of a federal anti-prostitution policy. The government argues the policy applies broadly to affiliates. The nonprofit argues the policy violates free speech rights of its foreign partners.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 33, lines 30-32 — Transcript, file page 33, lines 30-32
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 28-24 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 28-24
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 62, lines 34-30 — Transcript, file page 62, lines 34-30
How the case got here
The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on May 5, 2020.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 10-26 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 10-26
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 65, lines 32-34 — Transcript, file page 65, lines 32-34
What each side wants
The government wants the Court to uphold the policy's application to foreign affiliates.
The nonprofit wants the Court to strike down the policy as applied to its foreign partners.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 33, lines 30-32 — Transcript, file page 33, lines 30-32
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 28-24 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 28-24
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 62, lines 34-30 — Transcript, file page 62, lines 34-30
What each side says
The government argues the policy applies to entities sharing a brand and mission with the domestic recipient.
The nonprofit argues the policy causes First Amendment harms to its foreign affiliates.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 33, lines 30-32 — Transcript, file page 33, lines 30-32
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 28-24 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 28-24
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 62, lines 34-30 — Transcript, file page 62, lines 34-30
What the justices asked
Chief Justice Roberts asked if it is reasonable to insist on formal corporate ties in this context.
Justice Ginsburg asked why the statute exempts certain international organizations from the policy requirement.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 18-38 — Transcript, file page 11, lines 18-38
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 50-52 — Transcript, file page 12, lines 50-52
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 54-24 — Transcript, file page 12, lines 54-24
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 14, lines 10-28 — Transcript, file page 14, lines 10-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 14, lines 34-42 — Transcript, file page 14, lines 34-42
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 10-26 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 10-26
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 26-44 — Transcript, file page 6, lines 26-44
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 65, lines 32-34 — Transcript, file page 65, lines 32-34
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 32-32 — Transcript, file page 7, lines 32-32
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 36-54 — Transcript, file page 7, lines 36-54
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 52-14 — Transcript, file page 8, lines 52-14
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 46-50 — Transcript, file page 9, lines 46-50
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 52-8 — Transcript, file page 9, lines 52-8
Why it matters
The outcome determines whether foreign nonprofits must adopt specific political policies to receive U.S. aid. It defines the boundary between domestic funding conditions and international free speech rights.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 33, lines 30-32 — Transcript, file page 33, lines 30-32
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 28-24 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 28-24
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 62, lines 34-30 — Transcript, file page 62, lines 34-30
What happens next
This article currently covers the argument record. Use the official docket link for later case activity.
Official sources for this section
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 18-38 — Transcript, file page 11, lines 18-38
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 50-52 — Transcript, file page 12, lines 50-52
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 54-24 — Transcript, file page 12, lines 54-24
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 14, lines 10-28 — Transcript, file page 14, lines 10-28
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 14, lines 34-42 — Transcript, file page 14, lines 34-42
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 10-26 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 10-26
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 26-44 — Transcript, file page 6, lines 26-44
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 65, lines 32-34 — Transcript, file page 65, lines 32-34
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 32-32 — Transcript, file page 7, lines 32-32
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 36-54 — Transcript, file page 7, lines 36-54
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 52-14 — Transcript, file page 8, lines 52-14
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 46-50 — Transcript, file page 9, lines 46-50
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 52-8 — Transcript, file page 9, lines 52-8
Official Court provenance
Official docket and case history · Official Supreme Court oral-argument detail page
Title and summary sources
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 33, lines 30-32 — Transcript, file page 33, lines 30-32
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 28-24 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 28-24
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 62, lines 34-30 — Transcript, file page 62, lines 34-30
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 33, lines 30-32 — Transcript, file page 33, lines 30-32
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 28-24 — Transcript, file page 4, lines 28-24
- Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 62, lines 34-30 — Transcript, file page 62, lines 34-30
Revision history
- Revision 1 · Official Transcript ·
Correction: Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.
- Revision 2 · Official Transcript ·
Correction: Migrated to the dated official Court activity contract without model use.