The Pernicious Effect of Dubious Materiality

12 Liberty University Law Review 315 (2018)

20 Pages Posted: 23 Sep 2018

See all articles by Timothy M. Todd

Timothy M. Todd

Liberty University - School of Law

Date Written: 2018

Abstract

This short symposium Article adds to the over-criminalization zeitgeist by arguing that the absence of express materiality qualifiers in statutes necessarily adds troubling overbreadth to statutes. Moreover, even when materiality is an element of the offense, its judicial construction can effectively nullify any purported protection. The net effect of both phenomena is a pernicious creep of over-criminalization that undercuts a free society.

Keywords: over-criminalization, materiality

JEL Classification: K00, K14, K40, K42

Suggested Citation

Todd, Timothy M., The Pernicious Effect of Dubious Materiality (2018). 12 Liberty University Law Review 315 (2018), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3244828

Timothy M. Todd (Contact Author)

Liberty University - School of Law ( email )

1971 University Boulevard
Lynchburg, VA 24515
United States

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