Where’s the Quid? DOJ Tests the Limits of Public Corruption Law

March 8, 2021  |  New York Law Journal

Proof of a “quid pro quo” is central to federal public corruption prosecutions. Recent high-profile cases have tended to focus on the “quo” part of the equation – the official act taken by a public official. Two recent federal prosecutions, in Ohio and Illinois, have drawn attention to the “quid” – the thing of value a public official receives in return for a corrupt official act. In this article, we consider what these two prosecutions may say about the outer limits of federal public corruption law.

Where’s the Quid? DOJ Tests the Limits of Public Corruption Law (pdf | 447.96 KB)