This article was written by S. A. McCarthy and published in The Washington Stand.
A U.S. Supreme Court justice is warning Americans of the dangers of “too much law.” Ahead of the publication of his new book, “Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law,” Justice Neil Gorsuch discussed in an interview on Sunday how an “explosion” of new laws could severely limit Americans’ freedom.
“Some professors say that there are now so many federal laws on the books — crimes — that every American over the age of 18 commits one felony a day,” Gorsuch observed. The justice explained that the number of federal crimes enumerated by law has roughly doubled since the 1970s. He noted, “That just counts what’s in the code, the U.S. code passed by Congress. That’s just the tip of the iceberg because federal agencies have been busy, too,” possibly alluding to the now-dismantled Chevron doctrine, which previously allowed federal agencies to interpret federal laws contrary to U.S. courts.
While the Chevron doctrine has been credited with allowing federal agencies to “overregulate” the actions of American citizens, Gorsuch also discussed the idea of conduct being “over-criminalized.”
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