Don’t Blame the SCOTUS DACA Ruling for Difficulties Undoing Trump’s Damage

MICHAEL C. DORF

Cornell law professor Michael C. Dorf responds to claims that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last term invalidating the Trump administration’s effort to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program license President Trump to take actions that will be difficult for a future Democratic administration to undo. Dorf argues that characterizing the ruling as a win for Trump and his executive power is far-fetched, and we should instead be concerned with the long-lasting damage to the environment and our nation’s foreign policy caused by the Trump administration.

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Wadle v. State

Docket: 19S-CR-340

Opinion Date: August 18, 2020

Judge: Goff

Areas of Law: Civil Rights, Criminal Law

The Supreme Court expressly overruled the constitutional tests set forth in Richardson v. State, 717 N.E.2d 32 (Ind. 1999), in resolving claims of substantive double jeopardy and adopted an analytical framework that applies the statutory rules of double jeopardy. The Richardson court adopted a comprehensive analytical framework constituting of a statutory elements test and an actual evidence test for deciding all substantive double jeopardy claims under Ind. Const. art. I, 14. Application of the tests, however, proved largely untenable, resulting in a patchwork of conflicting precedent and inconsistent standards. Defendant in this case was convicted of several offenses for leaving the scene of an accident after striking and injuring the victim while driving drunk. The Supreme Court overruled Richardson and adopted a framework that applies when a defendant's single act or transaction implicates multiple criminal statutes. The Court then held that Defendant's multiple convictions violated the statutory rules of substantive double jeopardy.

Powell v. State

Docket: 19S-CR-527

Opinion Date: August 18, 2020

Judge: Goff

Areas of Law: Criminal Law

The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions for two counts of attempted murder, holding that Defendant's actions, despite their proximity in space and time, amounted to two distinct, chargeable offenses. Defendant fired five to six shots in rapid succession at two victims sitting in an adjacent vehicle. Defendant seriously injured one of the victims. At issue was whether Defendant was guilty of one count of attempted murder for the single act of shooting or two counts of attempted murder, one count for each victim. The jury found Defendant guilty of two counts of attempted murder. On appeal, Defendant argued that his two convictions violated the state constitutional protection against double jeopardy. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that because the evidence was sufficient to prove that Defendant fired his weapon multiple times with the dual purpose of intentionally killing both victims the multiple shots Defendant fired amounted to two chargeable offenses.