The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent unanimous decision in Barrett v. United States has important implications for federal criminal prosecutions and the limits of charge stacking.
In a new Law360 article, David Tarras examines how the Court reaffirmed core double jeopardy principles and rejected the practice of layering overlapping firearm charges arising from a single act. While the ruling focused on specific federal statutes, its reasoning reaches much further, reinforcing constitutional limits on cumulative convictions and prosecutorial leverage.
The decision arrives at a time of renewed emphasis on aggressive federal charging practices. As the Court made clear, overlapping statutes present prosecutors with a choice, not an invitation to stack charges.
Read article here.
