Berkman Luncheon Series >

jul
12
2011

The Internet and the Commerce Clause through the Prism of the Federal Kidnapping Act

Michele Martinez Campbell, Assistant Professor of Law at Vermont Law School

Tuesday, July 12, 12:30 pm
Berkman Center, 23 Everett Street, second floor
RSVP required for those attending in person to Amar Ashar (ashar@cyber.law.harvard.edu)
This event will be webcast live at 12:30 pm ET and archived on our site shortly after.

Should kidnapping be a federal crime where use of the Internet or other telecommunications facilities is central to the crime's execution, but the physical act itself takes place within the borders of a single state?  Through the case study of the harrowing kidnapping and murder of 12-year old Brooke Bennett, this article examines a uniquely 21st century legal question about federalism, technology and criminal law.  In 2006, the Federal Kidnapping Act was amended to broaden federal jurisdiction in a clear effort to reach kidnappings committed by Internet sexual predators.  The article that is the subject of this talk is the first non-student piece to address this amendment, and the only one to date to defend it.

About Michele

Michele Martinez Campbell is an Assistant Professor of Law at Vermont Law School, where she specializes in criminal law and criminal procedure.  Professor Martinez Campbell graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College and received her JD with distinction from Stanford Law School. After law school, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert F. Peckham, Chief Judge of the Northern District of California, then spent three years as a litigation associate at Debevoise & Plimpton in New York. She spent eight years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York (covering Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island), where she served as Deputy Chief of the Narcotics Unit.

After leaving the U.S. Attorney's Office, Professor Martinez Campbell became an award-winning crime novelist. Her legal thriller series featuring federal prosecutor Melanie Vargas has been published in Spanish, German, Japanese, Russian, Estonian, e-book, audio and large print formats, in addition to English hardcover and paperback formats. She has also published several short stories, and done hundreds of media and public appearances including national book tours and television, radio and print interviews.

Links

• The Kids are Online: The Internet, the Commerce Clause and the Amended Federal Kidnapping Act