Federal Tool Against Local Corruption Faces Supreme Court Test

The Supreme Court is hearing an appeal on Monday that could substantially limit the federal programs bribery statute—long a go-to tool for US prosecutors targeting corruption by state and local public officials.

The statute, 18 U.S.C. § 666, is unquestionably broad in terms of who it covers, but it’s less clear what it covers. Monday’s case, Snyder v. United States, seeks to limit the statute to quid pro quo bribery—that is, a bribe paid pursuant to a tit-for-tat agreement.

That could have major implications for public corruption enforcement, Elisha Kobre, a former Southern District of New York prosecutor now ...