Number: RS21701
Title: A Sketch of Supreme Court Recognition of Fifth Amendment Protection for Acts of Production
Authors: Charles Doyle, American Law Division 
Abstract: The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution declares in pertinent part that, No person... shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself. The United States Supreme Court has pointed that acts of production may fall within of the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination under some circumstances. To do so they must satisfy the privileges general demands that require a (1) personal, (2) governmentally compelled, (3) incriminating, (4) testimonial, (5) communication. The Supreme Court has recognized a claim of privilege in two act of production cases, Doe I and Hubbell. Both cases involved sweeping subpoenas which demanded that individuals engage in the mental exercise of identifying, collecting, and organizing documents that incriminated them or that lead to incriminating evidence.
Pages: 6
Date: Updated January 6, 2004