Opinion ID: 362881
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Forfeiture Section 27 (Jones Act)

Text: 31 The last point to be made in regard to § 27 is the implication derived from the penalty of Forfeiture for a violation of carrying cargo by non-U.S. vessels in the coastwise trade. It is well understood that statutes imposing a forfeiture, particularly the horrendous penalty of forfeiture of an entire cargo worth millions of dollars, are to be construed strictly. 50 The rationale for such strict construction that persons should receive clear and unequivocal warning before facing exposure to harsh penalties 51 is especially applicable here, where the penalty for noncompliance is enormous. 52 The application of this principle is not undercut by the argument, strenuously urged by the appellants, as to the applicability of numerous judicial precedents involving the flow of interstate and foreign commerce. It is also well understood that such statutes of a regulatory nature are to be construed broadly, and appellants urge that this applies to the Jones Act in this case. 53 32 We do not agree; the Jones Act is an Act for a very specific purpose, with sharply defined contours, and the forfeiture provision is a strict penalty for a violation of such a limited and sharply defined statute. In its effect the Jones Act, though pertaining to commerce, thus bears a closer resemblance to other penal statutes than it does to statutes generally regulating commerce. Decisions construing regulatory statutes broadly, from their very nature and purpose, are of doubtful applicability. 54 33