On Thursday, April 26, 2012, Paul Cassell, Ronald N. Boyce Presidential Professor of Criminal Law at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, will testify in Washington, D.C. before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution in support of a constitutional amendment protecting the rights of crime victims.
Cassell’s testimony provides a clause-by-clause analysis of the current version of the Victims’ Rights Amendment, explaining how it would operate in practice. In doing so, he argues it is possible to draw upon an ever-expanding body of case law from the federal and state courts interpreting state victims’ enactments. The fact that these enactments have been put in place without significant interpretational issues in the criminal justice systems to which they apply suggests that a federal amendment could likewise be smoothly implemented. Cassell also argues that it is important to have federal constitutional protection of crime victims’ rights.
Cassell’s testimony is archived here.
Additionally, on May 10, Cassell provided a supplement to his testimony, which is available here.