United States v. Comstock - Post-Argument Debate SCOTUScast
SCOTUScast 05-03-10 featuring Stephen R. McAllister, Ilya Shapiro, & Erin Sheley
On January 12, 2010, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in United States v. Comstock. The question in this case is whether Congress had the constitutional authority enact 18 U.S.C. 4248, which authorizes court-ordered civil commitment by the federal government of (1) "sexually dangerous" persons who are already in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons, but who are coming to the end of their federal prison sentences, and (2) "sexually dangerous" persons who are in the custody of the Attorney General because they have been found mentally incompetent to stand trial.
To discuss the case, we have University of Kansas School of Law Professor Stephen R. McAllister and Mr. Ilya Shapiro, who is a Senior Fellow in Constitutional Studies at the Cato Institute and the Editor-in-Chief of the Cato Supreme Court Review. Ms. Erin Sheley, the Deputy Director of the Federalist Society's Faculty Division, is the discussion's moderator.
[Return to the SCOTUScast menu]