Constitutional LawDeath PenaltyFeaturedU.S. Constitution
March 25, 2024By Rocio Iglesias Gonzalez
The Eighth Amendment states, “[e]xcessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”[i] For many years, advocates against the death penalty have asserted that capital punishment violates the Eighth Amendment.[ii] To advance their argument, advocates argue that the methods used to carry out the executions are cruel […]
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Constitutional LawFeaturedStatutory Interpretation
March 22, 2024By Stephanie Blanco
Pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 5845(b), a machinegun is “any weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.”[i] The definition also includes the “frame or receiver of any such weapon, any part designed […]
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Constitutional LawFeaturedMoney LaunderingU.S. Constitution
March 20, 2024By Kevin Nakfour
Defense attorneys play a critical role in the criminal justice system. The Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution ensures the right to counsel to a criminal defense even if he or she cannot afford to pay for an attorney.[i] However, in some instances, a defendant can not only afford an attorney, but they can […]
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Constitutional LawDeath PenaltyFeaturedFlorida Statutes
March 15, 2024By Kaisha Ahye
Current Precedent On August 25, 2003, Patrick Kennedy was found guilty of raping his 8-year-old stepdaughter and was sentenced to death by a jury of his peers in a Louisiana court.[i] Kennedy appealed. He argued that under the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment because […]
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