D.C. Police to Scalpers: One Strike and You’re Jailed
Ordering the police to arrest every lawbreaker, no matter how trivial the offense or harmless the offender, appeals to legislators who want to appear “tough… Read More
D.C. Metro to “Phantom Planter”: Stop Planting Flowers, Or Else!
“It’s sort of beyond the scope of what you would imagine some private citizen would do,” said Washington, D.C., Metro spokesman Dan Stessel of Henry… Read More
Small Business Caught in Big Government’s Net
This story has been removed based on new information that came to The Foundry’s attention.
USA vs. YOU: Heritage Expert Testifies on Overcriminalization
Even Congress doesn’t know how many federal crimes there are — that was the implication at a recent hearing focused on overcriminalization. This past Friday,… Read More
LawNews
Morning Bell: The Government vs. YOU
Every day, more Americans get trapped by big government. In addition to groups targeted by the IRS, upstanding citizens going about their normal lives are… Read More
Clean-Energy Fuel Cell Gets Inventor a Jail Cell
Krister Evertson is the kind of person all good conservationists should honor. He spent his life’s work in pursuit of an economical, clean-energy fuel cell… Read More
Gibson Guitars: Forgotten Scandal?
Almost two years after Gibson Guitars was raided for violating an obscure law, Representative Marsha Blackburn (R–TN) is demanding a full explanation: The recent scandals… Read More
Eagle Scout Faces Felony for Honest Mistake
Just in case you weren’t convinced that overcriminalization is giving good kids criminal records, an Eagle Scout (the highest rank in the Boy Scout organization)… Read More
16-Year-Old Girl Faces Felony Charges for “Science Experiment Gone Wrong”
Sixteen-year-old Kiera Wilmot, described by her principal as “a good kid,” had good grades and had never been in trouble at school—let alone with the… Read More
Congress Takes a Positive First Step to Address Overcriminalization
On Tuesday, Congress took a definite step in the right direction toward addressing the serious problem of overcriminalization by announcing the creation of a bipartisan… Read More
Morning Bell: Senate Gun Control Bill Erodes Your Rights and Privacy
Since the tragic shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, President Obama and many in Congress have pushed a “do something” mentality on gun control. Heritage experts urged… Read More
Small Business Owner? You Could Be Unintentionally Breaking the Law
Today, a growing number of small business owners are unintentionally finding themselves on the wrong side of the law. Under a statute aimed at identifying… Read More
LawNews
No Joke: Man Jailed for Laughing in Own Home
A Long Island man is facing 30 days in jail for laughing in his own home, according to The Huffington Post. Forty-two-year-old Robert Schiavelli, who… Read More
Man Arrested for Releasing Heart-Shaped Balloons in Romantic Gesture
Anthony Brasfield, a 40-year-old Florida man, was arrested Sunday for releasing a dozen heart-shaped helium balloons into the air in what was to be a… Read More
Ten-Year-Old Arrested for Bringing Toy Gun to School
Last week, a ten-year-old Alexandria, Virginia, boy was arrested and charged with brandishing a weapon, according to The Washington Examiner. This is a very serious… Read More
Morning Bell: Getting a Meddling Government Out of Our Lives
The next time a cashier asks “paper or plastic?” think of Abbie Schoenwetter. He spent more than six years in federal confinement for shipping lobster… Read More
Overcriminalization Ruins Lives
The story of the late Dr. Peter Gleason, a Maryland psychiatrist who devoted much of his practice to serving the poor and underserved populations, is… Read More
Couple Faces Jail Time for Saving Baby Deer’s Life (VIDEO)
An Indiana couple is facing up to 60 days in jail and $2,000 in fines for saving a deer from death. Jeff Counceller, a police… Read More
Jail Time for Offensive Facebook Postings?
How many people would be in jail if annoying or offending a person were against the law? The answer: pretty much everyone. If you think… Read More
Overcriminalization: Jail Time for Charging a Cell Phone, Drying Clothes
Did you know that you could be put in jail for charging your cell phone? Or for hanging your clothes out to dry? These are… Read More
Do We Need a New Law to Make Stealing Illegal?
Everyone agrees that stealing should be a crime. Theft has been an offense in every society that has recognized property rights. Theft was a crime… Read More
Mother of 3-Year-Old Fined $2,500 for Toddler’s “Public Urination”
Justice is flowing like a river for an Oklahoma mom. A Piedmont police officer was fired for writing an excessively hefty fine for her three-year-old’s… Read More
Paperwork Errors Can Send You to Prison
Under a recently proposed rule, a clerical error could send someone to prison for five years. In the latest attempt to criminalize seemingly every aspect… Read More
Fowl Statutory Language Puts the Innocent at Risk
Eating a dead animal that you find on your property may be gross, but it may also be criminal. A Texas man recently learned this… Read More
INTERVIEW: Norman Reimer on Overcriminalization
Norman Reimer is executive director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL). He sat down with us to discuss his organization’s efforts to… Read More
Senator Rand Paul Gets It Right on Overcriminalization
Apparently, Members of Congress have not been reading our Overcriminalization blogs. How do we know this? Because the International Fisheries Stewardship and Enforcement Act (IFSEA)… Read More
INTERVIEW: Heritage’s Robert Alt on Overcriminalization
Robert Alt is director of the Rule of Law Programs and senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Legal and Judicial Studies. He… Read More
Is Dropping a Banana Peel a Crime?
Can a person be convicted of a felony for ordinary negligence? Surprisingly, yes. Today there are a number of statutes and regulations that make ordinary… Read More
DOJ Bullies Gibson into Submission: Will Congress Allow This to Happen Again?
The Heritage Foundation has been writing about the problems that Gibson Guitar has faced for a long while now. Sadly, Gibson has bowed out of… Read More
The SAFE DOSES Act: A Redundant Law and an Empty Gesture
The SAFE DOSES Act, which just passed the House, makes stealing medical equipment a federal crime punishable by up to 30 years in prison and… Read More
