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Culture War Roundup for the week of March 27, 2023

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The whole substance of the underlying indictment argument is that Trump intended to commit a federal crime and by dint of that crime NYS can charge a separate crime. Of course, no federal prosecutor has attempted to bring that crime.

What that means is that NYS is effectively trying to enforce federal law in substance if not in name. That is what OP was saying.

Once again, this is entirely different from your California example. It would be akin to California saying “We think defendant violated Texas law; despite Texas never charging him or finding him guilty we are going to say it was a violation of Texas law and because we say it is a violation of Texas law we can now bring this separate California charge.”

That is not normal. Not even close.

It raises many questions. For example, if there are questions as to what is in fact Texas law (the defendant could say the law is Y, California could say X — does California court get to determine what is Texas law; what if there are constitutional issues with the Texas law — does a California court get to decide those matters). Once again, this is entirely different from a situation where another forum has adjudicated a matter under that forum’s law.

That is what OP was saying.

No, OP was saying that the state was charging a violation of Federal law, which of course WOULD BE illegitimate were that the case. But it isn't.

if there are questions as to what is in fact Texas law (the defendant could say the law is Y, California could say X — does California court get to determine what is Texas law; what if there are constitutional issues with the Texas law — does a California court get to decide those matters)

Yes. But a CA court's decision re TX law is not binding on TX courts, while a TX court's decision re TX law is binding on CA courts.