Reference no: EM133371825
Your city is tired of people "panhandling" from tourists. There is a lot of tourism in your city and the city officials are afraid that "panhandling" is going to negatively affect the tourism industry. A law is written making it illegal for three or more people gathered on a sidewalk to "annoy" passersby. The city asks you to review the law for constitutionality. What information would you want to have? What do you believe would be the outcome of your review?
1. Should the federal government be allowed to use extraordinary rendition? What purpose does extraordinary rendition serve? Is this an individual act or is it policy? How reliable is the information uncovered by such processes?
2. Actual possession and constructive possession can be very important differences. How do these differences affect prosecution of crimes of possession? Why do criminal statutes not require ownership to be proved?
3. While friends were finishing a late night barbeque dinner on the patio of a home, a man wearing a hood and brandishing a gun burst onto the patio and demanded money, threatening to shoot someone if his demand was denied. The robber took off his hood, reached for some barbeque chicken. After eating a few bites he commented the food was very good. The partygoers offered him more food, and he put his gun in his belt. He apologized and told the guests he had come to the wrong house. The robber left, stealing nothing and hurting no one. Did the robber commit the crime of attempted robbery or robbery? Can he argue successfully that he abandoned his criminal activity before a crime was committed?
4. Why is it important that a defendant be "competent" to stand trial? Should the government be allowed to force a defendant to take medication to make him/her competent to stand trial? What are the rules in your state for determining competency?
5. Do you agree that law enforcement officers should be able to force an uncooperative driver suspected of DUI to provide a blood sample? How have the courts justified such action?