In the case of Rewis et al. v. United States (1970), the U.S Supreme Court overturned convictions for violating federal laws against interstate gambling operations, ruling that these laws did not apply to customers of illegal gambling businesses who crossed state lines to place bets. The defendants were Florida residents who operated a lottery and had customers from Georgia. They were convicted under a law prohibiting "interstate travel in aid of racketeering enterprises." However, the Supreme Court held that this law was intended to target those involved in managing or operating such enterprises rather than their patrons. Therefore, it ruled 8-1 in favor of the defendants on grounds that applying this law to customers would lead to absurd results and exceed Congress's intent when passing it.

In the dissenting opinion for REWIS et al. v. UNITED STATES, Justice Harlan disagreed with the majority's interpretation of the Travel Act, arguing that it was not intended to cover local gambling operations merely because they attracted out-of-state customers. He contended that such an expansive reading would federalize a vast array of state crimes and infringe upon states' rights to regulate their own affairs. The legislative history of the act suggested its purpose was to combat organized crime by targeting interstate criminal enterprises, not local activities attracting non-residents. Furthermore, he argued that if Congress had intended such broad application, it would have been explicit in its language or provided clear legislative history supporting this view; neither were present here. Thus, according to Justice Harlan’s dissenting opinion, Rewis should not have been convicted under the Travel Act as his operation did not involve interstate travel or communication which is necessary for prosecution under this law.