Miguel Angel Mejia v. United States
CriminalProcedure Privacy JusticiabilityDoctri
Does the MDLEA violate Article III and the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial by giving dispositive weight to the Executive Branch's assertion that jurisdiction exists?
Question Presented The parties to a case cannot manufacture federal subject-matter jurisdiction by stipulation. Nonetheless, the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, 46 U.S.C. § 70501 et seq., purports to give the Executive Branch the power to “conclusively” determine that federal jurisdiction exists over a prosecution based on assumed, rather than established, facts. Does the MDLEA violate Article III and the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial by giving dispositive weight to the Executive Branch’s assertion that jurisdiction exists? ii