While political opponents sometimes accuse each other of treason, the definition of the crime has nothing to do with politics. Rather, the crime of treason is set out in a statute known as the Espionage Act. This brief describes the provisions of the Espionage Act and gives examples of the kinds of crimes that have been prosecuted under the Espionage Act. Additional information on classified documents can be found in our Classified Information policy brief linked in the Further Reading section.

The federal government routinely classifies documents and other information whose disclosure would harm national security. Even so, classification can also be used to hide internal deliberations and policy failures. Classified documents typically get in the news when they are found in the possession of active or retired politicians and high-profile individuals. What are the procedures for classifying information, and how do people run afoul of these rules?

The United States has a federal form of government, meaning that the power to make policy is shared between the national government in Washington and the 50 state governments located across the country. Federalism has certain advantages, most notably the ability for state and local governments to act based on better information on local needs. At the same time, federalism creates the potential for conflict between different levels of government in cases where they disagree on services, regulations, or other policy matters. When do such conflicts arise? Which level of government gets to have their say?