What is a federal crime?

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purpleRz

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#1 purpleRz
Member since 2007 • 889 Posts
werd
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sca321

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#2 sca321
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It's something that is against federal law rather than state law.
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Stanley-Steamer

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#3 Stanley-Steamer
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any crime that takes place in more then one state like drug trafficking or that is against a federal goverment instituion
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purpleRz

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#4 purpleRz
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So does it work like this, if the crime is failry minor then the person is tried under state law, but they could appeal then be treid under federal law. Or how does it work...?
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sca321

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#5 sca321
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So does it work like this, if the crime is failry minor then the person is tried under state law, but they could appeal then be treid under federal law. Or how does it work...?purpleRz
No most murders/rapes etc. are under state law.

Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_the_United_States#Federal_law

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194197844077667059316682358889

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#6 194197844077667059316682358889
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So does it work like this, if the crime is failry minor then the person is tried under state law, but they could appeal then be treid under federal law. Or how does it work...?purpleRz
It's a matter of what is governed by state law versus federal law, which ties into constitutional questions of states' rights. As noted above, most crimes that involve illegal actions across state lines are federal, helping to reduce jurisdictional squabbles. Similarly, counterfeiting is a federal crime, since the federal government is responsible for currency.