Reading Room Document

The Constitutionality of Cooperative International Law Enforcement Activities Under the Emoluments Clause

The Emoluments Clause of the Constitution does not bar a proposed cooperative maritime counternarcotics operation, because the foreign naval personnel assisting U.S. law enforcement personnel would not hold an "Office of Profit or Trust" under the United States. The OLC does not provide release dates for its opinions, so the release date listed is the date on which the opinion was authored. The original opinion is available at www.justice.gov/file/19936/download.

October 7, 1996