Let’s criminalize everything dept.: “Sleep-deprived drivers who cause deadly crashes now face criminal penalties under a measure that became law Tuesday in New Jersey. The bill signed by Gov. James E. McGreevey allows prosecutors to charge a sleep-deprived driver with vehicular homicide, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.” It is nicknamed “Maggie’s Law” after the victim of one such collision, thus confirming the truism that any enactment tagged with the given name of some recent victim (“Megan’s Law”, etc.) will combine sentimentality of intent with harshness of result (AP/CNN, Aug. 5). Meanwhile, in Watauga County, N.C., District Attorney Jerry Wilson is trying to charge a methamphetamine defendant with two counts under federal terrorism law — for “manufacturing a nuclear or chemical weapon” — in addition to more conventional drug charges. (“Prosecutor fighting meth using law that punishes terrorism”, Asheville Citizen-Times, Jul. 16) (via Volokh Conspiracy).

Filed under: crime and punishment, names of laws, New Jersey