The Coplon Case

This week the United States Supreme Court refused to review the case of Judith Coplon, onetime Justice Department employee, and thus made it all but certain that she will never have to serve sentences totaling 25 years for I) stealing secret U.S. documents, and 2) trying to turn them over to Russia. Arrested in 1949, Defendant Coplon was convicted first in Washington and later, in a second trial, in Manhattan.

Appeal courts ruled that the FBI made legal blunders in gathering evidence and in arresting Miss Coplon without a warrant. The Government asked the Supreme Court to reverse these rulings and let the original verdict stand. As a result of the Supreme Court's refusal to take the cases, Judith Coplon (now Mrs. Albert H. Socolov) will probably go scot-free. Justice Department attorneys said a new conviction will be impossible because the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has held that documents found in her purse when she was arrested may not be used against her.

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