This argument has been well known since the Nuremberg trials, which rejected charges of conspiracy to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity. Justice Stevens cited Telford Taylor, the chief prosecutor in Nuremberg, who made the same point about the oddity of conspiracy charges in international tribunals.
最高法院推理说，战争法必须反映所有法律制度中的共识。但是，同谋罪作为一个独立的罪名在英美法系中是一个特例。自从纽伦堡审判以来，这个观点已经为人熟知。纽伦堡审判拒绝指控同谋犯有战争罪和反人类罪。史蒂文斯法官引用了纽伦堡首席检察官泰勒的观点，泰勒对国家法院中的同谋指控这个难题作出了相同的判断。