Opinion ID: 1614456
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Impermissible Delegation

Text: Defendants further believe that the statutory scheme of larceny in a building and general larceny provides for great disparity of treatment because there is no guidance in regulating prosecutors when they choose between these two provisions in prosecuting the defendants. Simply stated they believe that the alleged lack of standards is per se objectionable. We do not agree. In United States v Batchelder , the defendant was convicted and sentenced under a federal statute prohibiting a previously convicted felon from receiving a firearm that has traveled in interstate commerce (18 USC 922[h]). This statute carried a five-year maximum penalty. The Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reversed the sentence on the basis that the substantive elements of 18 USC 922(h) were identical with 18 USC Appendix 1202(a) which carries only a two-year maximum penalty. The Circuit Court of Appeals also postulated that the statutes might impermissibly delegate to federal prosecutors the legislative responsibility to set criminal penalties. The Supreme Court, however, soundly rejected this reasoning by stating: The provisions at issue plainly demarcate the range of penalties that prosecutors and judges may seek and impose. In light of that specificity, the power that Congress has delegated to those officials is no broader than the authority they routinely exercise in enforcing criminal laws. Having informed the courts, prosecutors, and defendants of the permissible punishment    Congress has fulfilled its duty. 442 US 126. In our opinion, Batchelder answers the arguments advanced by the defendants.