Opinion ID: 2167010
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Felony Designation Legislative Prerogative

Text: Eaton's alternative or secondary argument is that, even if his conviction was valid, the offense should be denominated as a misdemeanor rather than a felony. When crimes were classified by the common law, there was a great disparity between punishments for misdemeanors and felonies. Carroll v. United States, 267 U.S. 132, 158, 45 S.Ct. 280, 287, 69 L.Ed. 543 (1925). At common law, [n]o crime was considered a felony which did not occasion a total forfeiture of the offender's lands or goods or both. Kurtz v. Moffitt, 115 U.S. 487, 499, 6 S.Ct. 148, 152, 29 L.Ed. 458 (1885); 4 William Blackstone, Commentaries . Therefore, [o]nly the most serious crimes were felonies at common law.... United States v. Watson, 423 U.S. 411, 439, 96 S.Ct. 820, 835, 46 L.Ed.2d 598 (1976) (Marshall, J., dissenting). At the present time in the United States, most crimes are defined by statute. Moreover, the legislature has broad discretion in classifying the statutory offenses it enacts as either felonies or misdemeanors. Carroll v. United States, 267 U.S. at 158, 45 S.Ct. at 287. The evolution of America's criminal jurisprudence has virtually eliminated the bright line distinction between felonies and misdemeanors that once existed at common law. Many crimes are now classified as felonies, by state and federal statutes, that were common law misdemeanors. United States v. Watson, 423 U.S. at 439-40, 96 S.Ct. at 835-36 (Marshall, J., dissenting). The United States Code provides that  [a]ny offense punishable by death or imprisonment for a term exceeding one year is a felony. 18 U.S.C. § 1(1) (emphasis added). In many states, any crime punishable by death or imprisonment is a felony. United States v. Watson, 423 U.S. at 439 n. 5, 96 S.Ct. at 835 n. 5 (Marshall, J., dissenting).