United States v. Layton
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
855 F.2d 1388 (1988)

- Written by Rich Walter, JD
Facts
A federal jury convicted Laurence Layton (defendant) of conspiracy to kill an American congressman in Guyana and with aiding and abetting the killing of that congressman in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 351. Layton was also convicted of conspiracy to kill an American diplomat in Guyana and with aiding and abetting the attempted killing of that diplomat in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1116 and 1117. Layton moved to dismiss his convictions, arguing that these statutes did not explicitly cover crimes committed outside the United States. The district court denied Layton’s motion, ruling that Congress clearly enacted § 351 in order to ensure governmental stability and clearly enacted §§ 1116 and 1117 to fulfill treaties ensuring the safety of certain internationally protected persons. Layton appealed to the Ninth Circuit.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Alarcon, J.)
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