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80 Denv. U. L. Rev. 241 (2002-2003)
Addressing Vagueness, Ambiguity, and Other Uncertainty in American Criminal Laws

handle is hein.journals/denlr80 and id is 264 raw text is: ADDRESSING VAGUENESS, AMBIGUITY, AND OTHER UNCERTAINTY IN AMERICAN CRIMINAL LAWS JOHN F. DECKERt TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .......................................... 242 I. THE PRINCIPAL OF LEGALITY ............................. 244 A. The Fair Notice Requirement ...................... 248 B. The Ascertainable Standard of Guilt Requirement ..... 253 U. AMBIGUITY AND VAGUENESS DICHOTOMY ................. 260 III. OVERBREADTH AND VAGUENESS DICHOTOMY .............. 265 A. First Amendment (or Facial) Overbreadth .............. 266 B. Facial Vagueness .................................. 275 C. Vagueness As Applied .............................. 280 IV. APPROACHES DESIGNED TO PROVIDE NOTICE AND ENFORCEMENT STANDARDS .............................. 284 A. Listing Prohibited Items and Conduct ................. 284 B. Inclusion of Mens Rea ............................. 286 V. SOURCES OF NOTICE AND ENFORCEMENT STANDARDS ........ 291 A. Common Usage of Terms .......................... 293 B. Common Understanding Within a Discrete Group ....... 298 C. Dictionary Definitions ............................. 300 D. Common Law .................................... 303 E. Obvious Policy Considerations ...................... 306 F. Legislative Intent .................................. 310 G. Prior Judicial Decisions ............................. 314 H. Definitions in Other Statutes Within the Jurisdiction ..... 316 L Definitions From Other Jurisdictions ................. 320 J. Treatises ........................................ 325 K. Literature/Periodicals .............................. 327 VI. OTHER RULES OF THUMB ................................ 331 A. Malum Prohibitum/Malum in Se? .................... 331 B. Constitutional Rights Involved? ...................... 334 t Professor of Law, DePaul University College of Law. The author wishes to acknowledge the excellent research assistance of DePaul law students Virginia B. Fuller and Rebecca C. Gee, Class of 2002.