Key legal question
Whether the appellants had standing to file a criminal-law complaint before the Federal Supreme Court
Extracted holding
No. They were merely informants and were neither victims nor injured parties with a legally protected interest in the prosecution.
Extracted reasoning
Only victims whose civil claims may be affected, or injured parties in limited circumstances, may complain. Mere informants lack standing because the public criminal claim belongs to the state and they have no legal interest in punishment.