Supreme Court Burrage v United States – Drug Dealer Enhanced Sentence

Click here to see the full Alliance for Justice article

Our own Steven Nolder has landed in National Spotlight again, writing an article for the Alliance for Justice blog about a critical judgement in the Supreme Court. In the case Burrage v. United States, prosecutors are seeking judgement for an enhanced sentence for drug dealing charges against Burrage for selling heroin to a customer that died as a result of heroin and the abuse of a gourmet platter of prescription drugs, that he was not prescribed. Where it can be easily contended that these prescription drugs were the cause of death, it is impossible for the prosecution to prove that the heroin itself was the cause of death.

So what is at stake? Constitutional rights are at stake, while keeping our government prosecutors, and judicial court process in check when they choose how laws are to be interpreted or flat out ignored as practice to violate a citizen’s civil rights in determining a sentence. Death, as an emotional motivator, cannot cloud the letter of the law.

So who is the Alliance for Justice? – “AFJ works to ensure that the federal judiciary advances core constitutional values, preserves human rights and unfettered access to the courts, and adheres to the even-handed administration of justice for all Americans.” – (Quoted from the Alliance for Justice website.) We are proud that they asked Steven Nolder for his professional insight as a federal criminal defense attorney to write for them on this national platform.