Now that summer is more than half way over (disappointing I know), it’s time for a second reminder for Washington Legal Foundation’s 2011 Freedom and Justice Legal Writing Competition.
This year’s prompt is the following:
Under the Park Doctrine, responsible corporate officers may be held criminally liable for the actions of their subordinates, even if the corporate officer neither participated in nor knew of the wrongdoing, and even if the subordinate was acting in violation of company policy. See United States v. Park, 421 U.S. 658 (1975). The Supreme Court has upheld the Park Doctrine in limited cases where the penalties are small and there is no grave damage to the defendant’s reputation. See, e.g., Morissette v. United States, 342 U.S. 246 (1952); United States v. Dotterweich, 320 U.S. 246 (1952). Given this framework, to what extent does the Constitution limit the severity of the civil punishment that may be imposed on those convicted of a misdemeanor under the Park Doctrine?
So start your engines (if you haven’t already)! Submissions are due on August 26, 2011. For more details on the contest, visit this webpage.