Fourth Circuit Decides Involuntary Medication Case

A former School of Government law fellow blogged here about the involuntary medication of death-sentenced prisoners. A recent Fourth Circuit case has moved me to think about the somewhat more common issue of the involuntary medication of incompetent defendants. Sell v. United States, 539 U.S. 166 (2003), held that the state is permitted “involuntarily to … Read more

Is It a Crime to Sell a Baby?

The News and Observer reported last week that “Duke University police arrested a Louisburg woman . . . for attempting to steal an infant [from] Duke Hospital.” It sounds as though she’s been charged with abduction of children in violation of G.S. 14-41. (I speculate that she wasn’t charged with kidnapping because of a concern … Read more