The Supreme Court can use a soap-opera case to stop federal overreach
By Ted Cruz, Published: November 4
In 2006, Carol Anne Bond of Lansdale, Pa., burned a woman with caustic chemicals as revenge after the woman became pregnant by Bond’s husband.
Ordinarily, Bond would have been prosecuted for assault, aggravated assault or harassment — in other words, for violating Pennsylvania criminal laws. Instead, federal prosecutors charged Bond with violating the federal legislation implementing the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons. This treaty outlaws the production, collection and use of chemical weapons, including poisonous gases and bacterial weapons, to prevent chemical warfare.
When the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral argument Tuesday in Bond v. United States, the fundamental issues will be U.S. sovereignty and the Constitution’s structural limits on federal power. The questions raised by this case go to the heart of our constitutional system: Does the federal government, through the treaty power, have authority to trump our system of federalism and separation of powers? Does the president’s power to make treaties and Congress’s power to implement treaties have unlimited reach?
More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinio...351_story.html
Connect With Us