Whitfield v. United States (2014)
- Docket
- 13-9026
- Decided
- 2014-01-01
Summary
Question: Does the forced accompaniment offense require proof of more than minimum movement on the part of the victim? Conclusion: No. Justice Antonin Scalia delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court. The Court held that forced accompaniment occurs when a person requires another to "go with" him, even when that movement occurs over a short distance such as within the same building. While the word "accompany" indicates movement over distance, that distance needs only be from one place to another, and therefore can be relatively short. The Court held that a plain reading of the word "accompany" does not connote movement over a substantial distance, and the statute should not be read in such a manner.