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The Posse Comitatus Act and Related Matters: A Sketch

Description: This report examines instances, as approved by Congress, where circumstances warrant a departure from the general rule of the Posse Comitatus Act, wherein the military is typically prevented from direct involvement in civilian affairs.
Date: November 6, 2018
Creator: Elsea, Jennifer K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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House Passes Bill to Amend the Federal "Crime of Violence" Definition

Description: This report discusses the Community Safety and Security Act of 2018 (CSSA), which was recently passed in the House and which would amend the federal "crime of violence" (COV) definition.
Date: October 11, 2018
Creator: Smith, Hillel R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Do Courts Have Inherent Authority to Release Secret Grand Jury Materials?

Description: This report discusses the issue of releasing secret grand jury material. Although a long-established principle that has been deemed essential to the grand jury's functioning and independence is that matters occurring before it are to be kept secret, the Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e) establishes exceptions.
Date: October 5, 2018
Creator: Foster, Michael A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Judicial Fact-Finding and Criminal Sentencing: Current Practice and Potential Change

Description: This report provides an overview of criminal sentencing law by briefly describing the use of relevant conduct under the Guidelines and tracing the Supreme Court case law that has informed the practice, before addressing judicial commentary and recently proposed legislation regarding the use of acquitted or uncharged conduct at sentencing.
Date: August 24, 2018
Creator: Foster, Michael A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Mexico: Evolution of the MĆ©rida Initiative, 2007-2019

Description: This report begins with a brief discussion of security challenges in Mexico and Mexico's security strategy. It then provides information on congressional funding and oversight of the MĆ©rida Initiative, with details about each of the program's four pillars. The report concludes by raising policy issues that Congress may wish to consider.
Date: July 23, 2018
Creator: Seelke, Clare Ribando
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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When Can You Be Convicted of a Crime That Is Not a Crime?

Description: This report discusses the case United States v. Melgar-Cabrera. A panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (Tenth Circuit) recently upheld the murder conviction of the defendant who the court conceded had been "convicted of a crime that is not a crime."
Date: June 29, 2018
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Murderous Schemes are not Violent Crimes?

Description: This report discusses the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit's decision in the case of "U.S. v. McCollum" which stated that conspiracy to murder was not a violent crime for federal sentencing purposes and discusses the background of the case and the prior case law which led to the decision.
Date: April 17, 2018
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Support for Drug Courts: In Brief

Description: This report explains the concept of a "drug court,", how the term and programs have expanded to include wider meanings and serve additional subgroups, how the federal government supports drug courts, and research on the impact of drug courts on offenders and court systems. In addition, it briefly discusses how drug courts might provide an avenue for addressing the opioid epidemic and other emerging drug issues that Congress may consider.
Date: March 20, 2018
Creator: Sacco, Lisa N.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Amateur Strip-Club Arrests: Probable Cause and Qualified Immunity

Description: This report discusses the Supreme Court case "District of Columbia v. Wesby" which addressed the question of what constituted probable cause for arrest and police officers qualified immunity from personal lawsuits against them for actions during the course of their duties.
Date: January 24, 2018
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Trends in Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering Enforcement

Description: This report provides an overview of recent trends in the enforcement of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), the principal U.S. anti-money laundering law regulating financial institutions. The report begins by providing general background information on BSA penalties and enforcement. The report concludes by discussing three recent trends that commentators have observed in BSA enforcement: (1) an increase in the frequency with which BSA enforcement actions involve an assessment of money penalties, and anā€¦ more
Date: January 12, 2018
Creator: Sykes, Jay B.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Mandatory Minimum Sentencing of Federal Drug Offenses

Description: This report is an overview of the Controlled Substances Act (or the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act) and federal minimum sentencing requirements for drug offenses.
Date: January 11, 2018
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Missing Adults: Background, Federal Programs, and Issues for Congress

Description: This report discusses federal efforts to assist local law enforcement in adult missing persons cases. It discusses demographics and record keeping of missing adults and unidentified remains; federally-funded databases that are used to track data on missing adults and unidentified individuals; federal programs and initiatives to assist in locating missing adults, including funding data; and issues regarding the federal role in missing adult cases.
Date: November 30, 2017
Creator: Fernandes-Alcantara, Adrienne L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Fibbing to Get a Lawyer: Circuits Split on Punishment

Description: This report discusses differing views held by U.S. appellate courts regarding whether lying about one's assets to pre-trial service personnel in order to get a court-appointed lawyer can be used as a justification to increase the sentence of the offender.
Date: November 27, 2017
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Statute of Limitation in Federal Criminal Cases: An Overview

Description: This report describes the rules governing statutes of limitation for federal crimes and provides a list of federal statutes of limitation in criminal cases with a rough chart of comparable state provisions.
Date: November 14, 2017
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Why is Violence Rebounding in Mexico?

Description: This report discusses violence in Mexico fueled by organized crime cartels and the rising homicide rate which for 2017 based on preliminary reports will be above 18 per 100,000 persons. The rate in 2016 was 16.2 per 100,000. Various possible causes of the increase in violence discussed are the fragmentation of the Sinaloa Cartel, the increase in heroin trafficking and sales in the U.S., and the removal of major cartel bosses by the Mexican military leading to a power struggle in the organizatioā€¦ more
Date: November 8, 2017
Creator: Beittel, June S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Fiscal Year 2018 Appropriations for the Department of Justice

Description: This report discusses proposed appropriations for the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the 2018 fiscal year divided into each department of the DOJ. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31) appropriated $28.962 billion for DOJ while President Trump's proposed 2018 budget requests $28.205 billion for DOJ which amounts to 2.6% less than the FY2017-enacted appropriation.
Date: October 12, 2017
Creator: James, Nathan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The State Department's "Trafficking in Persons" Report: Scope, Aid Restrictions, and Methodology

Description: This report describes the legislative provisions that govern the U.S. Department of State's production of the annual TIP Report, reviews country ranking trends in the TIP Report, and identifies recent congressional oversight of and legislative activity to modify the TIP Report. Answers to selected frequently asked questions (FAQs) are included throughout the report.
Date: September 17, 2017
Creator: Rosen, Liana W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Charlottesville Car Crash Attack: Possibility of Federal Criminal Prosecution

Description: This report discusses the announcement that the Charlottesville, Virginia car crash attack is being investigated as a federal civil rights case. It also outlines the sections of the federal law under which the attack could be classified.
Date: August 15, 2017
Creator: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Sifting Domestic Terrorism from Hate Crime ad Homegrown Violent Extremism

Description: This report defines the terms domestic terrorism, hate crimes, and homegrown violent extremism as used by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security and how they can intersect.
Date: August 14, 2017
Creator: Bjelopera, Jerome P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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When is Running Guns from the Philippines to Mexico a Federal Crime?

Description: This report discusses the case "United States v. Ubaldo" which concerns whether a gun smuggler who smuggled guns from a foreign country through the United States and then into another foreign country can be charged with a federal crime. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the conviction for conspiracy and causing the importation of weapons in violation of the Arms Export Control Act and ban on importing military firearms.
Date: June 26, 2017
Creator: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Update: What Constitutes "Sexual Abuse of a Minor" For Immigration Purposes

Description: This report provides an update of an earlier report from April 6, 2017, providing the final decision by the Supreme Court in the case of "Esquivel-Quintana v. Sessions". The case concerned the question of whether an immigrant alien who was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor where the minor was under 18 but at least 16 (in this case statutory rape in California between a 21 year old male and a 17 year female) was removable for an aggravated felony under immigration law. The Supreme Court ruledā€¦ more
Date: June 7, 2017
Creator: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Special Counsels, Independent Counsels, and Special Prosecutors: Options for Independent Executive Investigations

Description: This report analyzes the use of special prosecutors and independent counsels that were authorized under now-expired provisions of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, as well as the use of special counsels that are currently authorized by Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations. It also addresses constitutional considerations in establishing independent inquiries to address perceived conflicts of interest between investigating officials and the officials being investigated.
Date: June 1, 2017
Creator: Brown, Cynthia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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