[1] The case involves James Snyder, the former mayor of Portage, Indiana, who was convicted of accepting a $13,000 payment from Great Lakes Peterbilt after the city awarded the company contracts worth approximately $1.1 million.

The distinction between bribes and gratuities is a key focus: During oral argument, Justice Jackson questioned whether this "distinction creates a loophole where public officials can take official actions and later solicit or accept payments without it constituting a crime under § 666, potentially undermining efforts to combat public corruption and allowing sophisticated influence-peddling schemes to evade federal prosecution.

Fair notice: The ruling emphasized that the Government's interpretation would create uncertainty and potential traps for state and local officials who might be unaware of what constitutes a criminal gratuity under federal law.

She criticized the majority for ignoring the statute's plain text and for undermining Congress's intent to broadly combat corruption involving federal funds.

Legal scholars and commentators have expressed concerns that the Snyder decision may lead to increased corruption and influence peddling, as it creates a significant loophole by not criminalizing gratuities.