2 research outputs found
Syntax or Experience: What Should Determine If Sex Trafficking Qualifies as a Crime of Violence?
This Note analyzes the Fourth Circuit’s opinion in United States v. Fuertes, ultimately concluding that, contrary to the decision in Fuertes, sex trafficking should be considered a crime of violence under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c). Part II of this Note details the acts of German Ventura, a defendant charged with sex trafficking and possession of a gun during a crime of violence. Part III explores the purpose of § 924(c) and courts’ interpretations of “crime of violence”; it then considers federal circuit courts’ bases for finding sex trafficking under the TVPA to be a violent crime under a variety of statutes. Part IV summarizes the Fourth Circuit’s decision to depart from established precedent. Part V scrutinizes the court’s theory that sex trafficking cannot be a violent crime, ultimately resolving that, while sex trafficking should be considered a crime of violence, Congress must change the statute to expressly reflect the violent nature of sex trafficking
“Show Me” Your Legal Status: A Constitutional Analysis of Missouri’s Exclusion of DACA Students from Postsecondary Educational Benefits
This Note discusses how Missouri’s exclusion of in-state tuition and state scholarship funding affects DACA students and concludes the Missouri legislature’s proposal violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. Part II explores the DACA program and its effects on both DACA individuals and society; it then lays out Missouri law on higher education benefits, both prior to and after the passage of HB 3 and SB 224. Next, Part III details the process used to evaluate equal protection claims based on immigration status. Part IV scrutinizes the legislation under equal protection case law, ultimately concluding in Part V that HB 3 and SB 224 violate the U.S. Constitution and deprive DACA students, such as Sanchez, of their right to equal protection of the law