The Bradens and five other whites were charged with sedition. They were accused of trying to start a race war. They were also accused of blowing up the house themselves to try to overthrow the government of Kentucky. This happened during the time of McCarthyism. Anyone could be accused of being a communist and many were. Carl Braden was said to be a communist troublemaker. He spent eight months in prison. The Supreme Court ruled a year later in a Pennsylvania case. It said sedition was a federal crime, not a state crime. Carl Braden's state conviction was cancelled. The charges were dropped against the other defendants. The Wades moved back to Louisville.