Biography
Philip “Slim” Connelly was a California labor journalist, former head of the Los Angeles CIO Council, and editor of the Daily People’s World. He was jailed in the July 1951 California Smith Act roundup while high bail was litigated. A jury convicted him on August 5, 1952, and the court imposed five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He remained free on appeal bond after trial, and the Supreme Court reversed the conviction on June 17, 1957.
In Yates v. United States (1957), the Supreme Court ordered Philip Connelly’s acquittal, finding the evidence insufficient. This appellate direction does not establish the physical release day. 354 U.S. 298, 328–331 (1957).
