President Donald Trump issued a consequential executive order that undermines the power of the federal government to prosecute Americans for obscure rules passed by unelected agencies.
The order, entitled “Fighting Overcriminalization in Federal Regulations,” was issued Friday and limits the federal government from prosecuting Americans for violating regulations without ill intent.
‘It will be of little avail to the people that laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood.’
“The United States is drastically overregulated. The Code of Federal Regulations contains over 48,000 sections, stretching over 175,000 pages — far more than any citizen can possibly read, let alone fully understand. Worse, many carry potential criminal penalties for violations,” reads the order.
The order calls for federal agencies to make a list of regulations that carry a criminal penalty and make it public within 365 days. It also disfavors prosecutions where there is no evidence of bad intent against the accused, in favor of prosecutions against those who knowingly violated regulations.
The order was…
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